NORFOLK, Va. — Cuts at the USDA are impacting additional food banks, News 3 has learned.
On Tuesday, News 3 spoke with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & the Eastern Shore about how they're bracing for cuts.
Now, the Food Bank of the Albemarle and Virginia Peninsula Foodbank are also bracing for cuts.
"We're going to lose a million dollars. It's going to equate to half a million pounds of food, and we're trying to figure out how we're going to replace that food," Liz Reasoner, the executive director of the Food Bank of the Albemarle, which serves 15 counties in eastern North Carolina.
The USDA has announced that funding for two programs is being cut, attributing this decision to the fact that these programs originated during the pandemic and no longer align with their goals.
Reasoner said the funding was used in a partnership with local farmers to provide fresh fruits and vegetables.
"It's going to create a hardship. We're going to have to make things stretch that much further and try and identify how we're going to backfill that," she added.
The Food Bank of the Albemarle is not alone in facing these challenges. On Tuesday, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore informed News 3 that it was preparing to lose out on $300,000.
"The difficulty for us is the uncertainty of it all," said Christopher Tan, the President&CEO.
The Virginia Peninsula Food Bank also told News 3 that it expects to miss out on just over $150,000.
Among the programs facing cuts is one that has been used funding school meals.
While the exact local impact remains unclear, Reasoner expressed concern that it could result in children eating more processed foods and fewer fresh meals.
"As a mother and a grandmother, I know firsthand the effects of what sugar and high carbs can do to children," she said.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said that the administration is tightening spending and cutting programs deemed non-essential.
Reasoner thinks that the food bank community should have a seat at the table when decisions about cuts are made.
"Don't just cut programs because you think they're wasteful. Bring us to the table and let's have a conversation about how to prioritize cuts," she said.
