It’s Wednesday morning in Whitefish. A long line of people – retirees, young adult workers, parents with their children – waits outside the North Valley Food Bank for its doors to open. Each week, 1,200 community members rely on our food pantry for groceries, a staggering threefold increase from just five years ago. And yet, at a time when food insecurity is reaching unprecedented levels, the federal government is pulling the plug on key funding programs that keep food pantries across the country running.
Recently, the USDA announced the cancellation of $500 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – funding designated from the Commodity Credit Corporation. TEFAP supplies food banks with essential staple food items, including meat, dairy, and produce.
Just days earlier, the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement – a vital initiative that helped food banks purchase fresh food from local farmers – was also discontinued.
Food pantries were never meant to be a permanent solution to hunger. The North Valley Food Bank, like many others, was founded in the late 1970s and grew in response to cuts to federal food assistance under the Reagan administration. Since then, the charitable food system has grown to tens of thousands of organizations, each scrambling to fill the increasing need for food assistance.
When the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation hit, food insecurity surged and food pantries carried the burden of the crisis. What was once a small, volunteer-run operation in Whitefish, distributing food just two hours a week, has grown into a $1.4 million organization with 10 employees, distributing food four days a week across northwest Montana. Last year alone, North Valley Food Bank provided 735,000 meals – nearly triple the amount distributed in 2019. In addition, the pantry delivers TEFAP food to six other rural pantries.
This isn’t just a Montana problem. One in seven Americans faces food insecurity. In 2023, 50 million people relied on food pantries for assistance. With inflation and housing costs continuing to rise, food pantries are stretched to their limits. Now, with the latest funding cuts, those limits are about to snap.
For food pantries, TEFAP is a lifeline. It supplies critical food items – especially fresh and nutritious options – that many pantries couldn’t afford otherwise. At North Valley Food Bank, the cuts of CCC funds will result in a 40% decrease of TEFAP food, amounting to over 100,000 pounds of food lost annually. At the current distribution level, we would need to raise more than $250,000 in additional private funding – a significant challenge that would exceed our fundraising capacity.
For our rural communities, the impact will be even more devastating. In some areas of northwest Montana, food pantries are the only source of fresh groceries. With a decrease of TEFAP food, many families will have nowhere to turn. As one of our rural partners put it, “The fresh food delivered to us by North Valley Food Bank ensures that at least for a few days after each delivery, people up here – many children – have a full belly before bed.”
These cuts aren’t just numbers on a budget sheet. They mean that many of our neighbors will go hungry. And as food pantries struggle to compensate, the ripple effects will be felt far beyond their walls.
The discontinuation of the LFPA program is another blow for both families and farmers. The program was a win-win for food security and local economies. It enabled food banks to purchase fresh, nutrient-dense food directly from local farmers, strengthening community food systems while ensuring families had access to healthy produce.
At North Valley Food Bank, LFPA funding allowed us to place weekly orders with local farmers – including summer favorites such as broccoli, kale, lettuce, tomatoes and turnips. Now, those orders could dry up if we don’t find private funders to step in. Our produce coolers would hold fewer fruits and vegetables, and struggling families will see even less fresh food on their plates.
For the farmers who depended on these purchases, the loss of LFPA funding removes a crucial market. At a time when supporting local agriculture should be a priority, the discontinuation of the program does the opposite.
Some argue that public benefits like SNAP should be enough to support struggling families. But those benefits are also under threat, with policymakers debating further reductions to programs that millions rely on.
Others claim that food assistance programs should be left to local charities. But private donations alone cannot replace the scale of government-supported programs like TEFAP and LFPA. Food banks are already overburdened, and nonprofits across all sectors are facing similar financial strain with recent funding cuts. Expecting food pantries to fill this widening gap is unrealistic and irresponsible.
Food insecurity is a growing crisis in the U.S., and the recent funding cuts threaten to push even more families to the brink of hunger. Food pantries will end up with empty shelves. Parents working multiple jobs will struggle to put meals on the table. Children will go to bed hungry. Cycle of poverty will be perpetuated, and communities already on the edge will be pushed further into crisis. Food insecurity is not a partisan issue – access to healthy food is a basic human right.
Food should never be a political issue. The people waiting in line at food pantries aren’t statistics – they are our neighbors, our friends, our families. We must act now!
Call your representatives and tell them that cutting food assistance programs during times of unprecedented need is unacceptable.
If you are a business owner, it’s time to speak up for your communities! These cuts will hurt your employees and the wellbeing of their families.
Support your local food pantry! If you can donate, please do so. If you can volunteer, join them.
The budget cuts to federal aid for food pantries are short-sighted and fail to address long-term costs. When we consider the financial burden of neglecting our neighbors experiencing food insecurity, we must ask: What is the true cost of undermining their stability? The impact on productivity, public health, and the economy as a whole will far exceed the initial savings. If support is cut now, our communities will pay the price for years to come.
Sophie Albert lives in Whitefish.