VA Food Bank Expects 50% Less Food To Distribute Due To Trump Funding Cuts

MERRIFIELD, VA — Thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food for Others was able to assist 64,000 people in Fairfax County experiencing food insecurity last year, distributing 3.8 million pounds of food.

In March, the Trump Administration announced it was cutting $500 million in funding to USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Program, which bought food directly from farmers to be distributed to food banks across the country.

“What we are expecting to see is a minimum of a 50 percent reduction in the food that we're receiving to distribute to the community,” said Deb Haynes, Food for Others’ executive director. “That's huge.”

The Capital Area Food Bank worked directly with the USDA to obtain food purchased from farmers, which was then distributed to food banks across the DMV, like the one operated by Food for Others.

“What they are reporting is that about half of the orders they have placed for that emergency food have been canceled,” Haynes said.

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Defunding the Local Food Purchasing Program not only affects farmers, who will no longer have USDA contracts to buy their products, but also anyone who relies on being able to shop at the local food pantry to feed their family.

“When clients come to our market, they're here to pick up their USDA food, which can only be distributed through one channel, following the federal rules,” Haynes said. “Our other channels are not affected by that, except that if I have less food to give one way, your family is still going to need food. So, we're going to need to find another way to provide you with that food.”

In addition to its food pantry in Merrifield, Food for Others operates a food bank to distribute emergency supplies and a large weekend program to distribute food to Fairfax County Public School students attending Title I schools.

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The budget bill passed last month by the U.S. House of Representatives includes large cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which was previously called food stamps, according to Haynes.

“That's going to really push food insecurity to higher numbers in this region,” she said. “When that comes into action, we expect to see an immediate response in how many people we serve. We saw a huge jump in early 2023 when SNAP, reset from the COVID level benefit back to the pre-COVID level benefit.”

Rising Grocery Prices Affect Food Aid

Food insecurity was already rising across the region, including in Fairfax County, according to Haynes.

"Our emergency referral program, which is not USDA food, we're seeing a 25 percent increase in how many people we are receiving referrals for right now compared to the same time a year ago, a quarter. I mean, that's massive,” she said.

As inflation continues to rise, so does the price of groceries, which affects the amount of food families are able to purchase and donate to places like Food for Others.

“The food drives that we have customarily relied on over the years have shrunk significantly over the last several years,” Haynes said. “Stamp Out Hunger, Scouting for Food, those have all shrunk, as have individual donations by consumers who bought an extra can of tuna at Costco and dropped it off. We're watching that with great concern, because, of course, inflation and tariffs also impact our ability to buy food.”

How You Can Help

Despite these concerns, Haynes wants the public to know there are still ways to help Food for Others fulfill its mission of feeding the food insecure in Fairfax County.

“The three things I need are food, funding, and volunteers,” she said. “Folks who want to donate food because they're able to, that's fantastic. They can literally just come to our location here in Merrifield, pull up to the loading dock and say, ‘Hey, I want to drop off some food,’ and our folks will accept the food, weigh it, and provide a receipt.”

Donations can be dropped off at the Food for Others Pantry, which is located at 2938 Prosperity Ave., in Fairfax.

Food donations are accepted at its Merrifield warehouse Monday through Friday, preferably between 2 and 5 p.m., or during normal operating hours, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at loading dock 2.

Most Needed Food Items

• Fresh Fruit
• Fresh Vegetables
• 100% Fruit Juice
• Peanut Butter
• Canned Fruit
• Canned Tomato Products
• Tomato Sauce
• Chili or Stew
• Canned Pasta Meals
• Canned Soup
• Boxed Cereal
• Mac & Cheese
• Canned Beans
• Dried Pasta
• Rice
• Maseca (Masa Harina)

More information about how to volunteer or make a financial donation are available on Food for Others’ website.

You can also donate via the nonprofit's Amazon link: Emergency Referral Wishlist.

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