Pantries across Montana that help low-income people, including seniors, will receive less food to distribute because of recent federal cuts to a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
Last month, the USDA cancelled $500 million worth of food that had been planned to go to food banks across the country through TEFAP, or The Emergency Food Assistance Program.
The Montana Food Bank Network, which serves 330 partners in the state, said in 2024 the organization distributed 3.2 million pounds of TEFAP food, an estimated $6.3 million worth.
The Network’s Brent Weisgram said the organization is still analyzing the effects, but the recent cut represents a 40% reduction of its TEFAP allocation, or $2.5 million worth of food.
The Network’s partners include community food banks, pantries, schools, senior centers and shelters, according to data on its website.
Weisgram said the Network is working with its development team to come up with strategies and letting all of its partners know to “brace for potential impacts.”
The Network said 73 partners in 35 counties that receive and distribute TEFAP food will be affected by the cancellations.
“The challenging part of that is that a lot of our rural service providers, our pantries in rural senior centers, they really depend on that for the majority of the food,” Weisgram said.
He said another USDA program, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Grant, won’t be renewed in 2025. Last year the grant provided $100,000 to purchase fresh produce from Montana producers.
One of the largest food banks in western Montana also said it will be affected by the cuts.
In a news release, the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center said it is losing an estimated $180,000 in inventory, or 91,000 pounds of food, with the recent reduction, and the cut comes on top of record demand.
“With rising grocery prices and increasing financial strain on households, we are seeing a higher need than ever before and only expect demand to continue to rise,” the food bank said in a news release.
Missoula Food Bank Executive Director Amy Allison said the nonprofit is grateful for the continued generosity of the community, whether in contributions of food, funds or volunteer time, and it will need more help than ever.
“Without this federal support, the food bank will need the public’s support more than ever in ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food when they need it,” Allison said in a statement.
In 2024, the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center distributed 2.81 million pounds of food to local families, including 228,290 pounds from TEFAP, according to the news release.
Weisgram, with the Network, said his organization’s daily operations won’t be affected by the cut. He said the Network distributed 16.3 million pounds of food through all of its programs in 2024.
Food from TEFAP accounted for roughly 20%, purchased food made up 18%, and the remaining 62% was donated food, according to data from the Network.
Weisgram said TEFAP wasn’t meant to be a social services program, but an agriculture program.
The government sets aside funding in the farm bill and provides supplemental funding at times to help prop up agriculture by buying commodities, food then distributed through organizations such as the Montana Food Bank Network.
The Biden administration approved the Commodity Credit Corp, “supplemental funding” to be distributed through TEFAP.
A December 2024 memo from the USDA about the supplemental funding said it will help emergency food organizations “as they continue to deal with supply chain challenges and elevated food costs” by supporting purchases and other needs.
But a USDA spokesperson told Yahoo! news last week the funding that had been from the Commodity Credit Corp “has been repurposed.”
“The Biden administration created unsustainable programming and expectations using the Commodity Credit Corporation,” the spokesperson said.
Weisgram, though, said the Trump administration is evaluating the program as “supplemental,” not foundational, but the situation on the ground has changed.
“Unfortunately, what they don’t realize is, you look at what’s going on as far as inflation, the economy, the number of people that are utilizing assistance programs, the foundation is still not meeting the need,” Weisgram said. “We need supplemental funding.”
In the meantime, he said, he expects demand to continue to grow.
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