Tri-Cities food banks, already hit by federal cuts, bracing for record surge in need

Yahoo

22-03-2025

Until recently food banks across Washington state were receiving robust deliveries of fruits, vegetables and shelf stable foods thanks to federal programs. But after recent cuts some Tri-Cities food banks are getting in only frozen blueberries and bread.
Many smaller community food pantries have extremely limited capacity to store frozen food, sometimes just a single household refrigerator or chest freezer.
'The (deliveries) are greatly reduced, they're severely different in the content, and the content that is available is just what is not moving at all in the way of food,' Tri-Cities Food Bank board President Howard Rickert told the Herald.
Demand already was spiking after federal pandemic aid ended for individuals, and now the food bank is preparing for a new surge of families in need as federal budget negotiations look to slash billions from SNAP, direct food aid and potentially even Social Security.
On top of those hits to families and food aid programs, more will likely come from the fallout of a myriad of difficulties impacting local farmers and growers.
Several key U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that bought produce for food banks directly from farmers and growers were eliminated this week.
The cuts could impact summer programs to feed children after the school year ends.
All of those factors could also have far reaching secondary impacts on expenses for farmers, grocers, suppliers and other industries with an estimated economic loss in Washington that could exceed half a billion dollars.
About 1-in-6 Tri-Cities households rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food stamp benefits, according to 2023 USDA data.
On top of that, Rickert said the need at Tri-Cities Food Bank's locations has grown significantly as inflation, rising rent prices and economic uncertainty leave more working families asking for help.
With rent prices so high that the cheapest available apartments are over $1,000 per month, he said ends just aren't meeting for many working families in the Tri-Cities.
'People are just flat out of money at month's end,' he said.
Of those nearly 17,000 Tri-Cities area households receiving SNAP benefits, about 60% include families with children under 18 and almost half are households with someone living with a disability.
About 1-in-3 recipients have an elderly person in the home.
Franklin County has the second highest rate of SNAP recipients in the state, Benton ranks 12th out of Washington's 39 counties, according to USDA data.
Veterans in the Tri-Cities also are vulnerable.
Of the more than 16,000 veterans in Benton and Franklin counties, 40% are over 65 years old and 1-in-3 receive disability benefits, according to 2023 Department of Veterans Affairs data.
Rickert said that smaller food pantries, which don't have the storage and freezer capacity of the Tri-Cities Food Bank simply can't keep up with demand.
'The little pantries, they're out. They run out. You can count on them running out (of food) by the third week of the month,' he said. 'The big driver is disposable income and people's ability to pay, rent was a huge number that went up.'
He estimates that 80 percent of food pantries simply cannot handle another surge in demand.
'We're in a position where we can continue to work and serve even in these difficult times, but that is really unusual for food banks,' Rickert said.
That's because the food bank invested in expanding their storage capacity at the beginning of the pandemic. Their leadership anticipated that increased demand was not going to dwindle.
It's a good thing they did. The demand at the food bank plateaued during the pandemic thanks in part to 2nd Harvest's mobile food pantries. As those began to wind down, clients were back at the local food banks.
The number of families they're helping is now as high as during the Great Recession of 2008-09, Rickert said.
'Now as soon as the pandemic officially ended and the subsidies for workers ended, then we saw the rise and the rise continues. We're going to exceed 2008 levels once again, we will be at record territory once again,' he said.
'We knew it was coming, we could see it coming. So the Tri-Cities Food Bank planned for facility expansion to expand storage and bulk.'
Washington state could lose more than $415 million in SNAP funding, according to an analysis by The Century Foundation.
The organization notes that the loss — $20 billion nationwide — would also lead to a loss of jobs and demand for agricultural products, further hurting farmers.
Those figures are based on estimated cuts, it doesn't account for how the state might have to cut benefit eligibility if they're expected to cover more of the cost.
The Department of Agriculture is targeted for $230 billion in cuts, according to a resolution passed by Republican lawmakers. Shifting more of the burden to states is one way lawmakers could achieve those cuts at the federal level.
For Washington taxpayers, that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. States currently pay half of the administrative costs to operate the programs.
If the state had to pay 10% of benefits, that would amount to $191 million in 2026, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
They predict that states would struggle to cover costs, likely leading to a reduction in benefits. Those reductions could come from reducing total benefit amounts or narrowing program eligibility by changing income requirements.
Washington, like many other states, is currently facing a budget crunch due to a number of factors, including loss of federal pandemic aid, inflation and increasing labor costs.
Lawmakers in Olympia are currently working to find billions of dollars in savings, with estimated impacts to services across the state.
While 2nd Harvest only receives about 5% of its funding from federal programs, they rely heavily on the generosity of farmers and growers. Those farmers and growers are facing uncertainty themselves.
Farmers took a big hit last week as a federal program that buy products for food banks directly from producers was cut.
Central Washington growers and food production companies make up a significant portion of the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, according to the Washington Department of Agriculture.
Eric Williams, 2nd Harvest community partnerships director, said all of their partner food banks and pantries are continuing to see an increase in demand.
'We always say, 'It's the first harvest that makes the second harvest possible.' It is the generosity of the farms and ranches and orchards that make it all possible,' he said. 'We only shudder to think what it would be without that generosity.'
'Orchards, potato farmers, lots of donors make it possible for us to weather these sorts of storms and more importantly get the food to help folks weather these sorts of storms.'
Those donations might be at risk if farmers are unable to plant or harvest as much of their products due to backlash from tariffs and loss of federal purchasing contracts.
Washington Tree Fruit Association President Jon DeVaney told the Herald that growers are having to figure out what to produce for the season now, without answers about what's on the horizon.
He expects many will err on the side of caution.
'It is a challenge given the high cost of production right now, most producers are struggling to put as much constraints as possible,' DeVaney said.
'There is a lot of pressure on producers to not pay the cost of harvesting product they can't sell. Many producers have been more selective about what comes out of the orchard, there's not a mechanism to get that unharvested product to a processor.'
These donations from farmers and growers across the Columbia Basin are one of the primary sources of food coming in for 2nd Harvest.
On top of that, Williams said that shelf stable foods have dropped from about half of their incoming donations to just 15% to 20%, which makes it harder for them to keep smaller food pantries stocked without directly purchasing goods.
'Some of our partners are quite small and they might only have a fridge or two, they're constantly telling us they can use a lot more shelf stable food,' he said. 'We're doing everything we can.'
Food bank Executive Director VJ Meadows said the organization has been able to help Tri-Citians in need since 1975 because of the generosity of the community, and that every penny donated stays in the Tri-Cities.
'We never forget we exist because the community supports us, and we depend on that,' she said.
Rickert said that local food banks and pantries are always in need of monetary donations, with about 60% of food being purchased now. He said that whether it's the Tri-Cities Food Bank or your church's food pantry, every dollar will go a long way.
Volunteers also are in high need. He said that people with administrative skills, forklift certifications or who can drive trucks would make a big difference.
Volunteers driving box trucks do food 'rescues' on days the food bank isn't open, going to local grocery store partners to pick up donations. Those grocers also are under pressure to reduce the amount of unsold products.
People with experience in logistics also help keep costs down, because they reduce the need for full-time employees required to track data for grants and other programs.
As food insecurity grows, every bit of help local food banks and pantries can get will make a difference.
To volunteer or donate, visit tcfoodbank.com/
For a map of food pantries near you, visit Foodfinder.2-harvest.org/