Delaware nonprofits warn of federal cuts hurting underserved communities

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

At the Bellevue Community Center on Monday, Delaware officials, nonprofit leaders and volunteers gathered to protest sweeping federal cuts that threaten essential programs like AmeriCorps and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s emergency food supply. The event was led by U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, who, along other leaders, emphasized that the very soul of public service is at stake.

For Daniel Elkins, executive director of the Bellevue Community Center, the impact of AmeriCorps is personal.

“Twelve years ago, I walked through this community center’s doors for the first time,” Elkins said. “I had just graduated from Marshall University with a master’s degree in political science and a heart full of questions … It was AmeriCorps, and specifically Public Allies Delaware, that gave me the answer.”

After graduating with AmeriCorps, Elkins found more than a job — he found a mission. He said the values and training he received became the foundation for the Planet Youth Coalition, a drug-free community initiative supported by both Sen. Coons and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

“As a result, our community has been able to respond to the real needs about substance abuse, youth mental health and positive development — not by focusing on what’s wrong, but by building on what’s strong,” Elkins said.

But now, Elkins said, that strength is being stripped away. AmeriCorps funding in Delaware was slashed by $1.1 million, affecting 10 projects and more than 100 service members.

“The recent news that AmeriCorps funding was cut is so difficult,” he said. “With recent cuts, Public Allies sites in four different cities were instantly shuttered and closed. The allies and nonprofit future leaders who had made a commitment to a 10-month service-learning experience were instructed to cease operations instantly.”

“As a result of those losses, I think of the communities who won’t receive the support they were expecting this week or next,” he added. “The immediate impact is easy to document, but it’s the long-term losses of future leadership as a result of cutting funding to AmeriCorps or a national service that will haunt this nation for many years to come.”

Food Bank of Delaware shortages

But the impact doesn’t end with AmeriCorps. Standing beside Elkins was Cathy Kanefsky, CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, highlighting another blow to vulnerable families in the state.

“Due to recent federal funding cuts, we lost 19 truckloads of food expected to arrive between April and July,” Kanefsky said. “We were expecting hard-to-get food — milk, eggs, frozen meat, fruits, vegetables and more.”

The cut represents nearly 30% of the bank’s anticipated deliveries for the year — 900,000 meals that won’t reach seniors, working families and children who rely on them. Added to those challenges, Kanefsky said supply costs are rising.

“Our vendor has indicated that cranberry sauce will increase $7 to $10 a case starting next week,” she noted. “Decreased USDA foods and an increased cost to purchase that food will be detrimental to our work.”

In the face of these setbacks, she emphasized that AmeriCorps members were also critical to the food bank’s mission, serving as the hands and feet of food distribution programs. With both their labor and USDA deliveries vanishing, she called the moment an unprecedented threat to basic human needs.

“In times of political uncertainty, we cannot afford to lose the very systems that hold our community together,” she said. “AmeriCorps is one of those systems … We are not powerless — we are united. We must stand together to protect what matters most: basic human dignity, compassion and community.”

Sen. Coons warned that the issue goes beyond Delaware and that President Donald Trump’s proposed budget aims to eliminate AmeriCorps completely.

“Lay off 85% of the national staff … Then, a few weeks later with a sickening thud, cuts to $400 million worth of AmeriCorps grants all over our country,” Coons said. The Civilian Conservation Corps “which responds to natural disasters were fired and told to go home in the middle of their service. AmeriCorps Vista, the AmeriCorps state and local programs administered here in Delaware and all over the country took devastating cuts.”

Coons closed with a sharp message: “Don’t cut the very heart of national service here at home. Don’t hurt every city, county, state and community in America. Reverse this brutal cut.”

Elkins said he remains convinced of the lasting power of national service.

“National service doesn’t just transform individuals — it transforms neighborhoods,” he said. “It creates the kind of leadership that stays, listens and keeps showing up regardless of funding.”

This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.