'Not going away': Local food banks face threats to funding sources

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are calling for cuts to committees that fund federal food assistance programs, raising concerns about the future of programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

In addition to $11 million in federal funding for North Carolina food banks already being canceled, another Department of Agriculture program these House Agriculture Committee cuts could target is its largest — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

SNAP has provided food aid for low-income families since 1964, and according to the USDA, covers 13 percent of North Carolinians. 

The House budget resolution comes as supply chain and climate disruptions increase food prices, making it harder for people across the U.S. to access food. According to the USDA, food prices rose 23.6 percent on average from 2020 to 2024. 

Carrboro nonprofit TABLE has delivered weekly bags of nonperishable and fresh food to over 1,000 Orange County kids since 2008. 

Suzanne Tormollen, the TABLE director of marketing, said the organization has seen increased demand for their services, all while rising food costs have made their operations harder.

Tormollen began her work with TABLE in 2016. She said the average overall cost of production for each delivery bag has increased from $20 to $25 to now $30 per bag, all while ensuring the quality and quantity of goods in the bags remain constant. 

She said TABLE is currently serving 1,100 kids and has a waitlist of over 200 kids. If SNAP benefits are reduced, the waitlist will only grow, Tormollen said.

“That is a large portion of monthly income that the families do lose,” she said. “If SNAP benefits are cut, we will see an increase in the need for our services.”

Kristin Lavergne, the community services director at The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, said compared to the first six months of 2024, the IFC Community Kitchen served 21 percent more meals, and use of its Community Market food pantry has increased by 11 percent.

Despite the increase in demand for their services, Lavergne said rising food costs and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused donations to decrease. Feeding the Carolinas Policy & Advocacy Specialist Jamie Alt said the pandemic caused hunger rates to rise. 

“Food insecurity crept in at higher rates during that time because folks weren't able to get to work, and those that relied on employees also couldn't sustain their businesses,” Alt said.

She said this was addressed by emergency allotments, a temporary boost to SNAP benefits put into place in 2020. However, when these programs were rolled back in early 2023, she said hunger rates went back up. 

Alt said a cut to SNAP benefits now would cause families who rely on SNAP to make tough decisions.  

“Maybe that looks like you start skipping doctors appointments to be able to put dinner on the table,” she said. “It could look very different for a lot of individuals, but those are the choices that are going to have to be made when people no longer have that support.” 

Sixty-six percent of SNAP participants in North Carolina are families with children, compared to 62 percent nationwide. According to No Kid Hungry N.C., one in five North Carolina children live in hunger. 

No Kid Hungry N.C. Program and Communication Manager Andrew Harrell said a cut to SNAP or other federal programs would directly impact children. 

“Hungry kids can't learn,” he said. 

Harrell added that cutting SNAP would also impact the economy as a whole. He said for every dollar SNAP provides, $1.50 is regenerated into the economy. 

“The money that goes into the SNAP or an EBT card for somebody gets spent at farmers markets and grocery stores,” Harrell said. “So if we lose funding for a program like SNAP, it's not just the immediate and critical need of that family that's losing access to healthy food, it's also an economic impact on our farmers and our small businesses.” 

Lenore Jones-Peretto, the board chair at nonprofit organization PORCH, said despite increased demand and cuts to its partner organizations such as the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, PORCH is planning to lean into its original model to continue to fight hunger: neighbors helping neighbors.

“It truly takes a village to help everybody, and so we are so thankful for what we have been able to do thanks to the generosity of the community,” Tormollen said. “But the problem is not going away. It's growing.” 

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