Latest news with #FoodLifeline
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal cuts will hurt hunger relief programs in Tacoma
USDA budget cuts have shocked the hunger relief community in the past month. While previous cutbacks have had a 'somebody else, somewhere else' feel, the most recent cuts will be felt here at home, from Bellingham to Longview and right here in Tacoma. The first cut of $660 million defunded the Local Foods for Schools Agreement Program, which provided funds to schools to purchase locally sourced food for students. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program also lost $500 million of funding. This program provided funds for food banks and hunger relief groups to purchase locally produced food for those in their communities experiencing food insecurity. Locally, the cuts have canceled $1.9 million in funds Food Lifeline uses to supply nearly 300 food bank partners across western Washington. While Food Lifeline will look to alternate sources to replace these funds, the impact will be dramatic in the short term. The current cuts translate to 7 million pounds of food. This represents 10% of the food we distributed in 2024. A drop of 10% in sourcing means 10% less food for our food bank partners. This includes the Making a Difference Foundation's food bank, Eloise's Cooking Pot, one of the busiest in Tacoma. Each year, it serves 75,000 individuals, children, seniors, and families experiencing food insecurity. Last year, it served 229,699 households, distributing 1.7 million pounds of food monthly. 'We already distribute millions of pounds of food each year,' said president and CEO Ahndrea Blue. 'And with federal funding cuts impacting families and local farmers, securing fresh, nutritious food will become even more challenging. This could drive up costs, require additional fundraising efforts, and force us to expand our distribution capacity to keep up with the growing need. If we do not receive increased community and governmental support, the ability to serve everyone who needs help could become unsustainable.' Not far down the road is Nourish Pierce County. Every year, Nourish serves 70,000 individuals experiencing food insecurity, half of whom are children and seniors. 'The impact of these cuts will be felt far beyond the food bank doors,' says Nourish Pierce County CEO Sue Potter. 'Our 21 distribution sites are not just places to pick up food — they are community safety nets that prevent families from spiraling into crisis. When USDA food supplies shrink, demand shifts to already strained local donors and volunteers, making it harder to keep up with rising needs.' The rationale behind the USDA cuts (in the agency's own words) is 'to remove a pandemic relic' and 'return to long-term fiscally responsible initiatives.' But the post-pandemic landscape for food insecurity looks worse in many ways than before the crisis. At the height of the pandemic, Food Lifeline's food bank partners served 1.1 million people across western Washington. As the country began to reopen, those numbers were expected to drop back to roughly 800,000. But supply chain issues, food shortages and inflation have caused these numbers to rise even higher. Today, 1.7 million people in western Washington are food insecure and visiting food banks. Just last year, food bank visits increased a staggering 20%. While inflation may have slowed, high grocery prices remain. Families still face economic pressures that often end with searching for assistance, a painful tipping point that challenges our ability to grow and thrive as a community. 'The people we serve — working families, college students, military members and seniors on fixed incomes — are already making tough sacrifices,' says Potter. 'Federal food assistance exists to ensure that no one in America goes hungry, yet these cuts will leave our most vulnerable neighbors with even fewer options. Now is the time to strengthen, not weaken, the critical safety net for those who need it most.' We ask you to join us in supporting long-term solutions for food access that meet the needs of our neighbors in western Washington. Solutions that are community-informed and community-led. Please help us ensure everyone has the right to healthy, nutritious food. Mark Coleman is a former television journalist who joined the Food Lifeline team in 2015 as the director of marketing and communications. Today, he is the senior marketing and media relations officer, working to help advocate for hunger relief across western Washington.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 million pounds of WA food at risk as federal cuts loom
The Brief Food banks in Washington are bracing for federal budget cuts, which could result in the loss of 7 million pounds of food. Food Lifeline, which serves 300 food banks across the region, is calling for community support. SEATTLE, Wash. - Local food banks are bracing for the impacts of federal budget cuts that could result in the loss of 7 million pounds of food. Food Lifeline, which serves 300 food banks across the region and provides assistance to 1.7 million people, is calling for community support as critical programs benefiting tribes, small producers, schools, and low-income families face potential funding reductions. Last year, Food Lifeline distributed 70 million pounds of food. The anticipated federal cuts represent a 10% decrease in resources, a loss that would significantly affect food distribution efforts. Mark Coleman, a spokesperson for Food Lifeline warns severe consequences for families already struggling with food insecurity. "These new cuts are devastating," Coleman said. He says these new cuts are going after programs they've been working with for the last four to five years. As quickly as food arrives at Food Lifeline, it is packed and shipped to smaller food banks throughout the region. The demand for food assistance has only grown since the pandemic. "We thought the numbers would go down, but they kept going up because of inflation and supply chain issues," Coleman said. By the numbers According to Food Lifeline, one in eight families in western Washington relies on food banks. The organization warns that cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's budget will erode this safety net. The cuts total about $1.9 million in lost funding which the food bank says will affect key programs, including the Local Food for Schools Program, which provides Washington state with $660 million to purchase fresh, healthy food from local farmers for schools and childcare centers. "Most kids that receive free or reduced lunches, that's their only hot meal during the day," Coleman added. "The bottom line to all of this is that it's going to be families in western Washington who suffer." The ripple effects of these budget cuts not only threaten food banks but also the local farmers who have expanded their operations to meet increasing demand. "Those farms have grown, they've increased their capacity, and now they're not going to get paid for that food, so they're putting our farmers in a bit of jeopardy as well," Coleman said. Another $500,000 is being cut from TEFAP, a federal program that helps distribute food to low-income communities and $500 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, both of which help food banks source fresh, local produce. The Food Research & Action Center warns that proposed policy changes could strip free meal access from 475,000 Washington students, pushing even more families to food banks. The financial setback comes at a time when food bank visits are up by 20%. "What does hunger look like?" Coleman asked. "The truth is – it doesn't show." He pointed out that many of those seeking assistance are working families struggling with the rising cost of living. "The majority of them today are families that were just getting by before, before eggs were $7 a dozen, before gas was $4.75 a gallon," Coleman said. What's next Food Lifeline fears that funding cuts will continue, especially as Washington state faces a $12 billion budget shortfall. "If there are cuts to the state budget, it's going to affect this food safety net. It's going to affect school programs, senior meal programs," Coleman said. Despite the setbacks, Coleman says Food Lifeline will do it best to recoup the lost funding through other channels. "We always want to make sure we're there when people need us," Coleman said. That's why they need your help. "Volunteering is critical of us," Coleman said. "It takes us about 15 to 16,000 volunteers every year to sort and repack the donated food that we receive." We're going to do our best to make up that difference," Coleman said. "We're gonna we're gonna find donors, we're gonna work with foundations and other sources to bring that money back in. But right now, it's kind of devastating" Want to help? Donate at or for volunteer opportunities visit Food Lifeline. The Source Information in this story is from Food Lifeline, the Food Research & Action Center and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. Teen accused of Spanaway house party murders held on $2 million bail Deputy police chief of Tacoma fired after investigation Third measles case confirmed in WA, health officials warn of possible exposure Richard Sherman's WA home robbed by armed men, deputies confirm Seattle's 'Cake ATM' has customers lining up for sweets To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. 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Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Concern over food insecurity rises as the USDA cuts two COVID-era food assistance programs
The budget cuts continue on Capitol Hill, as the Trump Administration doubles down on plans to eliminate the federal deficit. The latest cuts are coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency announced plans to eliminate more than a billion dollars in funding for two food aid assistance programs. The cuts are expected to have an impact in Washington state. Food Lifeline, a hunger relief organization, tells KIRO 7 the USDA cuts will amount to about $1.2 million in cuts to their budget. 'We continue to advocate and ask that food insecurity not be part of those budget cost-saving measures because it is such an important lifeline for so many people in our communities,' says Ryan Scott with Food Lifeline. He tells KIRO 7, that one in four Washingtonians are food insecure. State Representative Jim Walsh, who heads the Washington GOP, says the federal cuts promote agency efficiency, not food insecurity. 'What the Trump administration is trying to do, and certainly DOGE, is put healthy pressure on the system, so that agencies like USDA are more streamlined, and a better bang for the taxpayer buck,' Walsh said. In addition to food banks, USDA cuts are headed to schools, with concerns about the impact of free and reduced lunch programs. The two USDA programs on the chopping block were created during the pandemic, but Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the programs were never meant to be long-term. In a statement to KIRO 7, a USDA spokesperson writes in part about this week's cuts: This isn't an abrupt shift—just last week, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases. Adding, 'The COVID era is over—USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward."
