Oregon food banks brace for federal funding cuts, delivery pause

PORTLAND, Ore. — Funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have halted hundreds of millions of dollars in food deliveries nationwide, with Oregon food banks anticipating significant resource strain amid already increased demand for food assistance.

The USDA announced the sunset of its Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), calling it a return to “fiscally responsible initiatives.” A USDA spokesperson said the agency is “prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact” in contrast to previous short-term programs.

At St. Andrew Catholic Church, volunteers illustrated the growing need. David Fikstad, a volunteer, reported a dramatic increase in families served: from about 100 weekly in mid-2022 to 700 by summer 2024.

“That’s estimated to be around 20 to 30 percent of the food that we get,” Fikstad said of a recently cut program.

Gary Johnson, a disabled veteran from Northeast Portland, visits the food bank weekly.

 “The other veterans, we all get together and we’ll come over here and pick up a few essentials before we go to the grocery store,” he said, expressing concern about potential cuts.

The Oregon Food Bank, revealed significant impacts, with 30 truckloads — nearly 1.5 million pounds of food — cancelled for April through June. Shannon Oliver, Director of Operations, noted the program provided about 18% of the food distributed to 21 regional food banks in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

“April’s about a week away, so we are indirectly feeling the impacts already,” Oliver said. She highlighted the loss of “fruits, frozen meat, pork, chicken, highly nutrient-dense foods that we’re helping serve our communities.”

David Wieland, a policy advocate for Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon, criticized the cuts.

“It hurts. I mean, these are deeply popular programs. They feed hungry people, they support local farmers and ranchers. They support the economy, they provide healthy, fresh food,” Wieland said. “It’s really confusing that these would be the things to be cut in a moment where demand is so high.”