‘It's very devastating': Cuts to USDA funding hit New England schools and food programs

Boston Globe

12-03-2025

New Hampshire is losing about $2.7 million in federal money, including about $968,000 for the New Hampshire Food Bank's
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'It's very devastating,' said Nancy Mellitt, director of development at the nonprofit food bank.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island — a hub that connects wholesale buyers and residential customers with local growers and producers — told the Globe that the Ocean State will lose close to $3 million from the two USDA programs, affecting about 100 small businesses.
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'This is a major loss to the state and it will have a very big impact on farmers, fishers, school children and folks who rely on food pantries,' said Jesse Rye, executive director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, which manages the
It was not immediately clear how deeply the cuts affected Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut.
In Massachusetts, the cuts amounted to a
'There is nothing 'appropriate' about it. Trump and Musk are continuing to withhold essential funding in violation of court orders, and our children, farmers and small businesses are bearing the brunt of it,' Healey said
In New Hampshire, the money helped to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy for
people in need of food assistance around the state.
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'It's devastating for the food insecure. It's devastating for New Hampshire farmers. And it's devastating for us because the program was very important to us,' said Mellitt.
While
The program sent money to 285 partner agencies around the state to buy food from 185 farms, according to Melitt, and it procured 522,000 pounds of food in 2024. The cut eliminated funding starting in April 2025 that would've lasted through January 2028, she added.
Around 135,200 Granite Staters are food insecure, which means they don't have enough to eat and don't know where they'll get their next meal, according to a
'I worry about the folks who are relying on the Food Bank because they are above income for other programs,' said Laura Milliken, executive director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions.
A program to help schools around New Hampshire
buy local food was also impacted by the federal cuts, according to Rebecca Ross, director of the Division of Agricultural Development for the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food.
Cuts to that program mean the state will not receive $1.7 million in federal funding that had been allocated for schools and child care programs over the next three years, according to Ross.
New Hampshire first received $558,000 toward the
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The program was supposed to make it easier for schools to afford local foods, and it was awarded
based on how many students participated in free and reduced lunch programs.
When reached by phone, the commissioner of the New Hampshire's Agriculture Department, Shawn Jasper, said he had no comment on the impact these federal funding cuts would have on the state.
'At this point I have not really taken a close look at what's going on,' he said. 'So it wouldn't be proper for me to comment without having all the information in front of me.'
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WATCH: Catherine D'Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank, unpacks why 1 in 3 residents are food insecure, the challenges, and how to help.
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According to a copy of the termination letter for the grant agreement with the Massachusetts education department, the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service had determined it 'no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate.'
In a statement to the Globe, a USDA spokesperson said the grant program was a pandemic-era program, and the agency would 'return to long-term, fiscally responsible' initiatives.
'With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food,' the spokesperson said. 'Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions in CCC funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over—USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.'
In October, the
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That funding included $1.2 billion to support local food purchases with schools, child care facilities, food banks, and other institutions, according to the USDA. School meal programs would get $500 million to make food purchases, and states, territories, and tribal nations would receive another $500 million. Child care facilities were supposed to get $200 million, the USDA said.
The money earmarked for food banks, schools, and child care facilities was meant to help them meet the needs of their recipients, and help ensure they had access to healthy foods, according to the USDA at the time.
The funding was intended to build on the agency's Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and its Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which were created during the pandemic to help connect communities with food producers, according to USDA.
Representatives from the Greater Boston Food Bank declined to comment on Wednesday.
In Massachusetts, more than 240 school systems received $3.5 million through the Local Food for Schools program in 2023, including some of the state's largest districts, including Boston, Fall River, New Bedford, and Springfield, according to the state's K-12 education department.
The grant cut is separate from the state's universal free school meals program and the National School Lunch Program, 'but Local Food for Schools would have provided districts with additional funding to make healthy local food purchases,' according to the Massachusetts K-12 education department.
In Boston, the city's public schools received $125,000 in fiscal 2025, and were expecting $250,000 in the coming fiscal year, according to Sujata Wycoff, a district spokesperson.
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'The Local Food for Schools program provides critical support for our local food economy by making it easier for school districts to purchase food directly from farmers,' the district said in a statement. 'The cancellation of this program is a loss for students and farmers nationwide, but in Boston, we are confident in our ability to continue providing our students with 55,000 fresh, nutritious meals every day.'
Amanda Milkovits of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at