Most of the food banks Consider the combination of federal or public dollars, private and partnerships with the food -sacrifices. While the cancellations were devastating for all food banks, according to their representatives, those who receive state financing or have strong community support, stated that they survived the cuts better than others.
The Central Louisiana Power Bank, where Cornwell and Green products come from, receives more than half their food from the federal government and receives very little state support. It serves rural areas of Louisiana, which has the highest poverty in the country Census data in the US.
Trump administration canceled 10 orders for a power bank totaling more than $ 400,000, chicken, cheese, dried cranberries, dried plums, milk and eggs, records. The power bank struggled to keep up with the demand after reducing and reducing private donations. The staff said Propublica that they used to distribute 25-pound food packages, but some packages have shrunk about half of this weight over the summer.
The longtime director of the Central Louisiana Food Bank told Propublica that the organization’s warehouses are empty than usual.
“We do not turn away people without food. It’s not yet,” said Jane Wright Veles, who was the executive director at the food bank for 30 years. “But people get less food when they come to us.”
The organization tried to fill the space with donations, but the transportation and distribution of fruits and vegetables is a difficult task, and several patrons reported that the propublica as they received.
Last morning, the 23 -year -old Cody Dufren came to collect food for his grandfather and neighbors, who live 45 minutes from the nearest grocery store.
Codie Dufrene holds the melon she received from the Central Louisiana food bank.
Usually the trunk of the car Dufren would be full. Not lately.
Dufren received a chicken for the first time “from the way to summer”. But the bird went out of the sacrifice, which hardly developed for £ 74,000, which never arrived in June.
She said that although her family is grateful and will use everything they will receive, the quality of food could interfere. Dufren noted that the state she received. “You can say – they are frozen, and they are already super soft.” She said her mother would most likely give them pigs: “Because people can’t eat them.”
Wright Veles said the power bank prepares its food safety staff and does everything you can to check everything before it comes out, but it is difficult to do it on a large scale. “Especially in the heat of summer, everything is just so fast so fast,” she said. “Watch as soon as we receive a donation.”
Jane Wright Veles, Central Louisiana Bank Executive Director
Emergency Aid Program It was established in 1983 to purchase excess food farmers and distribute it with low income people. The program budget is usually authorized every five years as part of the farm bill, but in 2018, Trump’s first administration added funds to help farmers fighting in accordance with the tariffs facing the US against the background of trade disputes. Additional discrete federal funds have helped food banks serve more people; Last fiscal year, they received almost twice as much money from the fund than their Congress distribution.
Now, characterizing additional funding as “Biden-epochs”, the second Trump administration has reduced $ 500 million that have already been allocated. The government still distributes food through other parts of the program, but banks with food have been canceled with canceled supplies because it is rare to reduce financing in the mid-year. The breakdowns.
The need is greater than what is in the food banks, said Shannon Oliver, the director of Oregon food operations.
“We have to prepare for the fact that there will simply be enough food, and it would be clear, setting the expectation that we are doing everything we can,” she said.
USDA did not answer questions or comments. In the May letter, which responded to the senators’ concern about the reduction of financing, the agency said she made additional food purchases through another program, and that the fast food program continues to act “as originally designed by Congress.”
“Although the pandemic is over, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have and will not lose attention to its main food security mission, support for agricultural markets and providing access to nutritional products,” the letter said.
