The Usda Cut $500 Million In Funding To Food Banks. Here’s How They’re Coping

As President Donald Trump’s management attempts to little ostentation by reducing authorities spending, Americans are uncovering retired nan very programs putting healthy, affordable foods connected their plates are connected nan chopping block.

A brace of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs — 1 that costs nan acquisition of section farm-fresh foods for schoolhouse cafeterias and different that costs overmuch of nan merchandise disposable successful nutrient banks — were trim for 2025, amounting to much than $1 cardinal successful purchasing.

In summation to nan $660 cardinal slashed from schoolhouse nutrient programs, nan USDA trim $500 cardinal specifically intended to thief nutrient banks and home agriculture. The second came from nan Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) branch of nan USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

Food banks astir nan state had been counting connected that $500 cardinal to provender millions of families and individuals experiencing hunger this year. They usage these costs to make purchases wrong nan home nutrient proviso chain, and galore months' worthy of orders already placed by nutrient banks person now been canceled.

TODAY.com said pinch 9 location nutrient banks, arsenic good arsenic a typical from Feeding America, to understand really these changes are affecting those relying connected this nutrient crossed nan country.

Volunteer Alfred Delio packs boxes of nutrient successful nan storage astatine Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. The kindness faces backing cuts that could effect millions of meals fixed to families successful need.Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel / TNS via Getty Images

By nan numbers

The Food Bank of South Jersey typically relies connected nan USDA for astir 20% of its nutrient supply. For nan Capital Area Food Bank successful Washington, D.C., that’s betwixt 25 — 30%, which costs astir 14 cardinal meals.

Food Bank for nan Heartland shared that it’s projected to provender much than 1.6 cardinal individuals and almost 600,000 households this twelvemonth done its pantries crossed Nebraska and Iowa — numbers that will beryllium tougher to scope pinch nan reduced national funding, arsenic commodity purchases typically relationship for 20% of nutrient sourced, pinch nan remainder coming from donations and unit purchases.

The cuts magnitude to astir 434,000 meals successful its Nebraska counties and 76,000 successful its Iowa counties, Heartland’s president and CEO Brian Barks tells TODAY.com.

On March 31, Great Plains Food Bank CEO Melissa Sobolik shared a cancellation bid pinch TODAY.com. The announcement shows a full nonaccomplishment of astir $1.3 cardinal of food, arsenic good arsenic a circumstantial CCC bid nonaccomplishment of 11,250 cases of eggs, 500 cases of pulled pork, 480 cases of sliced turkey breast, 1,365 cases of shredded cheddar, 900 cases of canned chicken, 578 cases of dried cranberries and 475 cases of stiff chickenhearted legs.

As of March 27, Food Bank of Iowa had 16 truckloads — astir 400,000 pounds of nutrient — that hadn’t yet been canceled but were successful question. They expected 2 loads successful April and nan remaining deliveries successful May and June. 

“Ours is among galore nutrient banks which simply don’t cognize really this is going to play out,” Annette Hacker, Food Bank of Iowa’s VP of strategy and communications, told TODAY.com. She said they were already purchasing nutrient (spending an estimated $1.12 cardinal from April done July) to effort and dress up for nan loss, “and moreover that will not screen it.” The adjacent day, Hacker confirmed to TODAY.com that each 16 truckloads had been officially canceled.

Feeding Tampa Bay was slated to supply astir 100 cardinal meals this year, of which nan CCC costs astir 20 million, CEO Thomas Mantz tells TODAY.com.

“Now, do I deliberation we’ll suffer each of that? I don’t,” he says. “I want to beryllium clear astir that. We don’t want to catastrophize, but that’s nan size of nan partnership.”

Caution portion blocks disconnected an aisle astatine nan San Antonio Food Bank connected March 27, 2025 successful San Antonio, Texas. Brandon Bell / Getty Images

Much of this remains uncertain

Mantz clarified that what his squad and peers were proceeding coming retired of D.C. wasn’t precisely clear-cut. He is remaining hopeful and optimistic that things will alteration complete time.

“I deliberation we still don’t rather cognize afloat nan effect of what this whitethorn be,” Mantz says.

Many of these canceled shipments weren’t slated to commencement arriving until later successful April aliases May, but representatives we said pinch opportunity there’s virtually nary measurement to switch what’s mislaid pinch donations aliases backstage fundraising — nan spread is excessively large.

“Philanthropy can’t flooded this loss,” Mantz says.

But location are immoderate privately funded nutrient banks that don’t trust connected USDA costs astatine each aliases arsenic heavily. A typical for New York nutrient rescue programme City Harvest tells TODAY.com nan nonprofit was not impacted by nan cuts.

“These reductions don’t conscionable impact group facing hunger — they besides wounded nan retailers, farmers, and businesses that proviso fresh, section nutrient to our region,” Beth Martino, CEO of Three Square Food Bank successful Southern Nevada, tells TODAY.com.

What is CCC?

While nan CCC (Commodity Credit Corporation) is simply a discretionary money — meaning, it’s up to each management to determine what to do pinch — it’s astir precocious been functioning arsenic a measurement to thief nutrient banks get much nutrient for nan nationalist while putting money straight into nan pockets of individual American farmers. Leaders we said pinch said this first began successful 2018, but nan USDA didn’t respond to TODAY.com’s petition for comment.

“It’s a programme that useful really well,” says Mantz. “It’s a terrific private-public partnership.”

He says it “enlivens” nan farming community, which faces its ain challenges, and “puts good, patient nutrient connected nan tables of those we serve, who will proportionately bargain unhealthy food, because that stretches farther successful nan budget.” 

The CCC is conscionable 1 of 3 monetary arms of TEFAP. There’s besides nan entitlement fund and Section 32 Bonus Product. The USDA announced connected March 24 that it had approved prize spends for vegetables, fruits and character nuts. Bryant says nan walk amounts to $261 million, though TODAY.com could not independently verify nan number.

Several nutrient banks we said pinch opportunity they had seen prize merchandise offers travel done astatine nan extremity of March and opening of April, wherever pantries tin get preapproved equipment without having to usage their entitlement funds. These equipment are typically designated arsenic Section 32 erstwhile nan product’s marketplace needs support, according to nan USDA. Hacker tells america that, connected March 31, Food Bank of Iowa received 2 USDA prize offers for fresh, dried and stiff consequence and tomatoes.

“An tremendous magnitude of nan nutrient that we supply astatine nan Food Bank of South Jersey is section produce, section eggs, section dairy — almost each of our vendors,” Geiger says. “Using authorities money, utilizing donated money, and nan money that comes done nan TEFAP program.”

So, pinch these cuts, Mantz adds, “not only do you person little nutrient successful nan community, not only do nan farmers get little support federally, but you besides commencement to present semipermanent wellness outcomes that are perchance antagonistic for group that don’t person entree to good, healthy, nutritious food.”

Sarah F. Geiger, elder head of programs and services for Food Bank of South Jersey, tells TODAY.com nan number of group they’re feeding has only accrued since nan pandemic. She says nan USDA costs person been important for them nan past fewer years arsenic some individuals and companies person little money to donate.

And arsenic request for nutrient banks continues to climb, reducing their resources is detrimental to feeding quiet neighbors.

Justin, a volunteer, fills a handbasket for a personification successful request of nutrient astatine nan Reaching Out Community Services nutrient pantry connected March 25, 2025, successful nan Brooklyn borough of New York City. Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Demand is high

Geiger calls today’s levels of request “unprecedented.” 

“It has simply been unsustainable since nan pandemic,” she says. “We’ve not travel back.”

This is particularly true, Bryant says, for moving families who aren’t eligible for nan Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“Florida is not traditionally a high-wage state,” Mantz says. “We person a batch of tourism industry, leisure industry, and truthful from a request standpoint, successful our community, we’ve continued to spot important maturation (in hunger). We don’t spot thing successful nan early that would alteration what’s happening for nan families that we serve.”

Radha Muthiah, CEO of Capital Area Food Bank, tells TODAY.com this simplification intends neighbors experiencing hunger who travel to nan slope will beryllium capable to return location little nutrient — and a smaller assortment of nutrient — than successful nan past fewer years.

Pantries connection farm-fresh foods done these programs

Food banks connection much than conscionable nan canned and packaged equipment often asked for successful donations. Thanks to partnerships pinch section farmers and backing done programs for illustration nan Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA), they are capable to usability for illustration a farmers market, too.

Since 2021, this programme has been keeping nutrient banks a root of fresh, nutritious and section nutrient and proteins. In December, nan USDA announced nan readiness of $1.3 cardinal for section nutrient programs — including Local Food for Schools (LFS) — and past came nan $1 cardinal trim successful March.

When a nutrient slope successful Southern New Jersey, for example, is capable to usage dollars to acquisition vegetables and meats from Southern Jersey farmers, not only is that money past staying wrong section communities, it’s getting those relying connected banks fresher and much nutritious foods. If personification successful South Jersey tin get their maize from a section husbandman alternatively than a husbandman successful Illinois, location are less trucks connected nan roadworthy delivering that food, which intends it spends little clip successful transit and tin support highest levels of nutrients by nan clip it reaches your neighbor’s plate.

How tin nutrient banks spend to connection nan aforesaid level of nutrient you’d find astatine a high-priced municipality farmers market? The LFPA funds.

=A unpaid distributes nutrient to a personification astatine nan San Antonio Food Bank connected March 27, 2025 successful San Antonio, Texas. =Brandon Bell / Getty Images

Who do these cuts wounded nan most?

Around 13.5% (or 18 million) of US households were nutrient insecure astatine immoderate constituent successful 2023, according to nan USDA. Feeding America puts that number astatine astir 47 cardinal individuals.

Vince Hall, main maturation gross serviceman of Feeding America, says that while hunger affects specified a ample information of Americans, it does disproportionately impact children and those successful agrarian areas.

According to Feeding America’s stats, 9 retired of nan 10 U.S. counties experiencing nan highest rates of hunger are rural.

Executive head of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Emily Weikert Bryant, tells TODAY.com that agrarian areas of her authorities will consciousness this nonaccomplishment much greatly than municipality areas. Those counties trust much heavy connected foods acquired done USDA programs arsenic location are less opportunities for unit donation.

“The costs of solving agrarian hunger is importantly higher,” Hall says. “It involves transporting smaller quantities of nutrient complete overmuch larger distances to scope smaller agrarian communities.”

So, what now?

Several nutrient banks we said pinch opportunity portion of their mitigation strategy is to speak pinch their section elected officials to make judge nan policymakers understand nan effect of nan decisions being made. Many are hopeful that these conversations will lead to reversals aliases different decisions to course-correct nan backing cuts.

“This isn’t personification acold away. This is personification adjacent door. This is simply a colleague, right? This is perchance a customer. This is simply a friend and a neighbor,” Mantz says. “There’s a bully chance that if you’re reference this story, we’re taking attraction of personification you cognize — and proudly.”

Almost everyone we said pinch crossed nan state said an perfect early includes a beardown bipartisan workplace bill, which they opportunity they’ve been waiting connected for years.

“And it needs to see that they person these beardown investments successful agriculture and nutrition programs for illustration SNAP and for illustration TEFAP,” Geiger says.

Hall besides mentioned a bipartisan measure arsenic an important adjacent measurement here.

Food banks are already stretched, and making cuts for illustration these is “not nan measurement to go,” Geiger says, calling these programs and SNAP “critical” for “functional society.”

She adds, “I deliberation group underestimate really quickly we tin beryllium those group successful statement that we serve.”