ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) – One of the big cuts in federal funding has made its way to dinner tables in central Virginia.
The USDA has eliminated a program that provided food banks and pantries with money to buy food produced within a 400-mile radius.
According to Jane Colony Mills, Executive Director of Loaves & Fishes in Albemarle County, the effects of this decision mean changes from farm to table.
“The tragedy is we’re not only undercutting people with not enough money to buy their own nice, fresh food, but also the people who are growing it,” Mills said.
Thanks to the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, Loaves & Fishes was previously able to fill some of their shelves with produce and beef from nearby farms.
“A lot of the food that we give out is secondhand, because we’re getting it from the grocery stores after they’ve pulled it from their shelves,” Mills said. “This was first quality food that federal funding made it possible for us to buy from local producers.”
But now, those grants have been cut, and Loaves and Fishes is no longer purchasing that food.
“It had a great benefit in two ways,” Mills said. “It helped feed people…and it helped support the producers, the growers.”
Les Sinclair, Communications & PR Manager for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, says the effects of federal funding cuts to this point have been relatively small, but still significant.
“It was really important product though,” Sinclair said of the LFPA grants. “It was meat and eggs and proteins that we don’t usually purchase, so that it was provided through these grants was really helpful for our guests.”
Now, Sinclair says it’s up to donors to fill those gaps as demand continues to reach a historic high.
“There is definitely a need for more donations, whether they’re from the USDA, and if we have to purchase that food, then it does put extra strain on food banks,” Sinclair said.
Sinclair says all eyes are now on the Farm Bill, which expires in September 2025 and could lead to cuts to even more USDA programs, such as the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
In the meantime, both Sinclair and Mills say they are weathering these ups and downs and will continue to do what they always do: feed the community.
“We will be flexible and do what we can with what we’ve got,” said Mills said.
If you would like to support Loaves & Fishes, you can do so here.
If you would like to support the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, you can do so here.
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