Federal cuts mean less to eat at area food pantries

GENESEO — Federal cuts to a U.S. Department of Agriculture program are taking more than half a million dollars worth of food away from area food pantries, at a time when they’re feeding a growing number of families.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program, known as TEFAP, is a federal program that since 1983 has bought U.S.-grown foods for distribution to food pantries, soup kitchens and community action organizations. Last year, the program spent $461.5 million buying and shipping food nationwide.