Latest news with #foodbank
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Federal food aid cuts will cause America's hunger crisis to skyrocket
The Daily Table, one of the largest food banks in Boston, recently announced it was closing its doors after serving more than 3 million people throughout the city over the past decade. The organization cited high food prices and an 'uncertain funding environment' as the main reasons. 'Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue,' read the group's farewell note to supporters. Pantries like the Daily Table across the country are struggling to stay open after the U.S. Department of Agriculture quietly cut $1 billion in 2025 funding back in March for food relief programs that have historically supported the nation's most disadvantaged communities. Specifically, the USDA abruptly slashed the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supported food banks in addressing the growing hunger crisis in America. The agency also canceled the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, USDA-led initiatives that paid farmers and ranchers to produce the food that pantries and schools distributed to those in need. '[Funding] is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification,' a USDA spokesperson bluntly told Politico when the cuts were discovered. Food banks depend on federal funding to help those in need. The USDA cuts have hit these organizations hard, stifling their ability to fulfill their missions in West Virginia, New York, California, Maryland, Washington, Oregon and beyond. Three District of Columbia-area food banks have delivered 1.4 million fewer meals since the USDA action, and these numbers are certain to grow. The need for food banks has never been greater. According to the USDA's own data, over 47 million people resided in food-insecure households in 2023. Demand in Nebraska is four times greater than it was in 2018, while some food pantries in Texas are serving 25 percent more people today than before the pandemic. And in what may be the most troubling statistic of all, nearly half of the residents in Kentucky and Indiana face an impossible choice of either paying for food or covering their utility bills. The USDA actions were a potential blow to farmers — a constituency the Trump administration has vowed to protect. They also defy the Trump administration's 'Farmers First' agenda. 'The defense of the family farm is a defense of everything America has been — and everything we will be,' wrote USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins in announcing the imperative. 'It is my privilege to come to their defense.' Canceling these programs is a slap in the face to every farmer who relies on federal support to help vulnerable Americans receive the food they need to survive. These economic initiatives drive local agriculture and are a vital source of revenue, especially for small farm operators. The USDA cuts deepen the impact for those who already lack access to healthy meals. Before the USDA rollbacks began, nearly 10 million children were at risk of going hungry this summer due to states opting out of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program. Eliminating federal support for food banks will make their untenable situation even worse. And if House Republicans move forward with a plan to decimate the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program in their proposed budget bill, the hunger crisis in America could become a full-blown emergency. SNAP currently helps 40 million low-income families afford groceries every month. The House bill, if approved, would gut the program by more than $260 billion over the next 10 years to help offset the Trump administration's tax cut proposals. The House GOP plan puts an added burden on states to make up the difference in SNAP support, many of which are financially strapped and won't be able to cover the funding gap. The USDA cuts come at a time when food prices are expected to rise 3.5 percent in 2025 alone due to recent tariff increases. They will have a 'significant and damaging impact' for millions who rely on these programs for food support, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and other U.S. senators have argued. Administration officials and members of Congress alike should heed the warnings from those on the front lines who run food banks and have seen firsthand the impacts the USDA cuts have had on their ability to address food insecurity in their communities. 'We've never before faced a situation like we are in now,' said Michael McKee, CEO of Virginia-based Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. '[The] need is well beyond any disaster or financial crisis that we've seen, and the government's response is to take food away.' 'This isn't about ideology,' he added. 'It's about math.' Let's have compassion for those with nothing to eat by restoring food programs that offer them nourishment and hope for a better future. Lyndon Haviland is a distinguished scholar at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
21 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
TV chef Rosemary Shrager starts 450-mile charity bike challenge
TV chef Rosemary Shrager has begun a 450-mile bike challenge to raise money for food poverty 74-year-old started her journey on Sunday at Land's End in Cornwall and plans to cycle through Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and West Sussex to reach the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent by 18 is aiming to raise at least £100,000 for the Hendry Foundation, which will give all of the money received to food poverty and food welfare charities in the south of chef said: "I visited a foodbank in Hastings and I was really, really upset and I thought, 'this is not fair, we need to do something to help'." The chef, who had to relearn how to ride a bike for the challenge, said: "I've been wanting to do this cycle challenge for more than five years and at last I have found a wonderful group of people who believe in me."It has been quite a journey so far, but I'm proud to be doing this challenge for such a worthy cause that is so close to my heart."On designated rest days, Shrager will do live cooking demonstrations and give talks, including at Kingstanding Business Park in Tunbridge Wells on 16 will also be visiting charities that will benefit from her Two Wheels for Meals fundraiser. Rebecca Hendy, chairperson and trustee of the Hendy Foundation, said Shrager's determination was "truly inspiring"."It's wonderful to see her so committed to making a difference to such an important cause that sadly affects millions of people," she has featured in cookery shows and reality TV programmes, including Ladette to Lady, The Real Marigold Hotel, Royal Upstairs Downstairs and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.Since it launched, the Hendy Foundation has given more than £350,000 to almost 250 charities in communities local to Hendy Group car dealerships across Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Seniors take on 700-kms trek for local food bank
Seniors Erlinda and George will walk around P.E.I. to raise funds for Aurora's and the Atlantic province's food banks. PHOTO: Submitted. When the going gets tough for some, others get busy. At least that's the story out of Aurora where two seniors are taking on a 700-kilometre trek around Prince Edward Island to raise funds and awareness for the Aurora Food Pantry. 'Although we live in an affluent society—at one time Aurora had the highest per capita income in Canada—there are people who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own,' said 73-year-old George Biondic. 'Many economical factors have contributed to community members facing food insecurity. It could be your neighbour, silent out of embarrassment. Without food, a child can't learn and develop; an adult can't work and be productive. Can the rest of us sit idly and do nothing?' Biondic, and his wife Erlinda, are known in Aurora for their ultra-running and endurance. In 2022, the couple walked from Barrie to Toronto to celebrate George's 70th birthday, all the while raising $11,000 for the food bank. 'Let's go big this time. No wimping out. We'll never regret doing good,' said Erlinda, who celebrated her 85th birthday, asking only that they take on another walking challenge. The Biondics will take on the 700-kilometre walk around P.E.I., starting June 20 to July 23, raising funds for both the Aurora Food Pantry, as well as those in the Atlantic province. To support their journey or donate to the cause, visit the Aurora Food Pantry or the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry in P.E.I.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Celebrating food bank volunteer's 100th birthday
Edmonton Watch The Edmonton Veterans Association Food Bank celebrated volunteer Martin Jones ahead of his 100th birthday on Friday.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Christchurch foodbank 'gutted' after thieves steal food meant for hundreds of needy families
Two individuals dressed in balaclavas and gloves broke the locks of Hoon Hay Foodbank's walk-in freezer and chiller on Sunday. Photo: Supplied / Hoon Hay Foodbank via Facebook A Christchurch foodbank is "absolutely heartbroken", "mad" and "gutted to the core" after two thieves stole frozen and chilled food meant for hundreds of families in need. On Sunday night, at 10.20pm, two individuals dressed in balaclavas and gloves broke the locks of Hoon Hay Foodbank's walk-in freezer and chiller. "Do you have a conscience?" the organisation asked in an open message to the perpetrators, posted on social media. "You have completely depleted [sic] all supplies of any meat and frozen and chilled items that were going out to hundreds of whānau [sic] who genuinely need the help to put Kai on the table... all you had to do was send a text and book in for a food parcel to access food if you were in need." The post questioned whether the thieves were actually in need of the food, saying the amount taken suggested it would instead be on-sold. "We have 121 [families] booked in this week already with more to be responded to and you have taken from the mouths of every member of every one of these households." Hoon Hay Foodbank says its supplies of meat and frozen and chilled items have been completely depleted. Photo: Supplied / Hoon Hay Foodbank via Facebook The foodbank asked anyone in the area who saw bulk food listed for sale, or any black and green supermarket crates in an unusual location, to get in touch. Food from a foodbank was not insurable, it said, and so losses would not be recouped. "To those whānau [sic] booked in this week who rely on what we can pack into a food parcels [sic] we are genuinely sorry that the items sometimes needed the most won't be included due to these [two]." The organisation was accepting donations of food to replace what was taken at its McCarthy Street location. RNZ has approached Hoon Hay Foodbank for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
