Originally posted on the Detroit Free Press By Nushrat Rahman
Food banks across Michigan are bracing for food shortages this year after the federal government stopped $4.3 million worth of shipments, including chicken, eggs and cheese ― even as many report that the need for food assistance is increasing.
The canceled orders, meant to go to food banks between April and August, account for more than 2 million meals, according to a March 27 news release from the Food Bank Council of Michigan, which advocates for a network of seven regional food banks in places as far-flung as Kentwood and Flint. Food banks are now left scrambling to fill in gaps with their own funds, food purchases and donations.
“We did not see this coming. This was not on our radar in terms of, ‘Oh, we could have a 600,000-pound dip in supply’ and with no real time to react,” said Ken Estelle, president and CEO of Kentwood-based Feeding America West Michigan.
The canceled food deliveries are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, funded by the federal Commodity Credit Corp., said Phil Knight, executive director at the food bank council. A USDA spokesperson said in a statement that the Biden administration had “created unsustainable programming and expectations” and the funding has been “repurposed,” and that the USDA continues to purchase food for the program.
Food banks will adjust and continue to distribute food, but the reality is that there may be less food in the boxes they hand out, Knight said ― and the boxes may contain less protein and more produce.
“People will have less access to the food that they want and need,” he said.
USDA halts more than a million pounds of food deliveries
In southeast Michigan, Gleaners Community Food Bank ― which serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe and Livingston counties ― is looking at 1.4 million pounds of canceled USDA food donations.
“For us to fill that on our own would cost about $850,000,” said Kristin Sokul, senior director of advancement communications for Gleaners. “Now, if we were unable to fill that 1.4 million-pound shortfall, which includes things like produce, milk, meat and shelf-stable items, that would ultimately mean that we would be able to serve 25,000 houses fewer this year.”
Those are families, children, seniors and veterans who rely on Gleaners for food, she said.
The USDA canceled 32 truckloads slated for delivery to Feeding America West Michigan beginning in April ― about 600,000 pounds of food worth roughly $1.1 million.
“That is just a little more than one week of distribution for our food bank,” he said. The food bank provides food assistance to more than a million households annually on the west side of the state and the Upper Peninsula, covering about half of all counties in Michigan.
Over in Washtenaw County, Food Gatherers is losing a source of food the organization had counted on, said President and CEO Eileen Spring.
“It comprises 15% of our total food distribution last year, or more than the equivalent of 1.2 million meals. So, that’s hard to replace so quickly, and Food Gatherers, like many food banks, has been distributing more food than we ever have before, serving more neighbors, because certainly, demand at food pantries has been high since the pandemic,” Spring said.
Peter Vogel, CEO of the South Michigan Food Bank, said over the past five years, his organization has experienced the biggest distribution years in its nearly four-decade long history and has been “running close to capacity.”
The Battle Creek nonprofit will get 400,000 fewer pounds of food this year, he said in an email to the Free Press, representing 3% to 4% of the organization’s food for the year, a loss it can manage. However, any other changes to federal food resources or cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would prevent the food bank from meeting the need, Vogel said.
“The Michigan Department of Education is very concerned about the effects recent actions by the federal government will have on Michiganders in need and farmers,” said spokesperson Ken Coleman in a statement Friday. “MDE administers USDA-funded programs to support families in need, including children, as well as farmers throughout our nation. MDE continues to stay apprised of federal government action as we determine our next steps.”
In an unsigned statement Friday, a USDA spokesperson said funding designated from the federal Commodity Credit Corp. “has been repurposed” and “there has been no pause in regular” purchases for the Emergency Food Assistance Program. The USDA did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about how the funds had been repurposed, or where they went.
The USDA, the statement went on to say, bought more than $300 million in “various poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts” through another fund called Section 32. The agriculture department recently approved an additional $261 million in these purchases to “provide even more fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts,” according to the statement.
“With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food,” the statement continued. “Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions in CCC funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over — USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”
Nonprofits fundraise to buy food
The food cuts put yet another strain on food banks already trying to address high levels of need.
“At the same time we’re seeing a cut in government-donated food resources, we’re seeing hints that requests for support are increasing,” Sokul, of Gleaners, said.
Gleaners has a plan to fill the shortage, including fundraising to purchase food and tightening expenses. The organization is also using $250,000 from its own reserves to help its partner agencies, including soup kitchens and pantries, buy food.
“Our team is pretty practiced in looking for resources, turning over every stone to make sure that we can make the best use of what is available to us,” she said. “But the unfortunate reality is there could be an impact across what we’re able to provide in variety or volume.”
Estelle believes Feeding America West Michigan can fill around $180,000 of the $1.1 million gap, but that means the food bank won’t be able to afford the same quality of food the USDA provides.
“It won’t impact the volume,” he said. “We will have enough food for the families that come through all of our distributions, but instead of it being protein, it will likely be more produce.”
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