Federal USDA cuts hit food banks, up to 300 distribution sites across Kern
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is cutting back $1 billion in funding and that is hitting Kern.
'The USDA bonus loads that we get through our TEFAP program have been cancelled.' said Susana Magana with CAPK, 'This equates to right around 3.5 million pounds and $4.5 million dollars.'
The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, is funded by USDA.
The Community Action Partnership of Kern, known as CAPK's food bank, already has lost 13 scheduled USDA deliveries.
Hunger continues to grow in Kern.
'From 2023 to 2024 we've seen a 200% increase.' said Susana Magana, 'So we were seeing right around 120,000 people a month, and now we're at about 200,000. Those lines are just going to get longer, and longer. Food insecurity is going to increase.'
In 2024, that equated to 22.5 million pounds of food that were distributed. Distribution sites that are going to feel the losses.
'We have a network of about 250-300 partners that are churches and other organizations that do the distribution, so those organizations are going to be affected and obviously we serve the entire county,' said Magana.
CAPK asks the community to reach out to local, state, and federal representatives to bring awareness of how impactful these cuts can be.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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