Snohomish Community Food Bank volunteer Mike Manley talks helps a client with what's in one of the food bank's freezers during the food bank’s Friday, May 12 service time to shop for supplemental food.
As more people are looking to food banks for help, officials are seeing less support from state and federal sources.
Food banks are dealing with the loss of support from two United States Department of Agriculture programs. The state department of agriculture learned in early March that $8.5 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance was terminated. Then, in late March, the state Department of Agriculture learned $4.7 million in commodities orders through federal The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), scheduled to be delivered from April to June, was canceled, said Katie Rains, Food Policy Advisor for the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WDSA), in an email.
“While these canceled orders are very disappointing, WSDA remains committed to supporting agricultural viability and food access and continues to monitor and support state and federal decisions and opportunities accordingly,” Rains said. “We will continue to pursue strategies that support the win/win of purchasing quality Washington foods to increase food access for lower income Washingtonians with the resources we have.”
The state is scheduled to receive $32.9 million from various TEFAP sources in 2025, which is down from $46.2 million in 2024.
Since 2023, Snohomish County food banks worked with local farms to purchase 164,000 pounds, or $455,000, of locally grown produce, said John Glennon, who oversees Hunger Prevention Services at Volunteers of America of Western Washington.
“There is a lot of capacity that we’ve built in the local food economy working with our grower network. This funding going away overnight is going to lead to a couple of harsh realities,” Glennon said, adding Volunteers of America is the lead agency in the county that helps distribute resources to 20 food banks that are part of the Snohomish County Food Coalition.
The funding loss means less nutrient-dense, high-quality food for people seeking assistance from food banks as well as hurting local growers who have devoted plots of their land to growing for food banks, Glennon said.
“It’s going to erase a lot of progress we’ve made over the last couple of years,” Glennon said.
“I think the challenge is the need is rising, and the federal government is continuing to cut access to service that support people who come to a food bank,” said Casey Davis, the director of the Edmonds Food Bank and President of the Snohomish County Food Coalition.
Food banks are seeing more people. Volunteers of America operates a food bank in Everett, a food bank in Sultan, a food pantry in south Everett and a drive-thru pantry in South Everett. From January through March, the food bank has seen a 34 percent increase in “duplicated” individuals, Glennon said.
March saw 8,831 duplicated individuals visit Everett food banks and Glennon said the Volunteers of America food banks are on track to see 9,000 people.
The Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe is seeing 100 more families visiting over the past two months, said Matthew Campbell, executive director of the Sky Valley Food Bank. The Snohomish Community Food Bank reported growth as well.
The Edmonds Food Bank saw around 1,000 households a week in December and that number has increased to 1,400 households a week in April, Davis said.
She added most people seeking assistance are families with children and the elderly.
She said the loss in federal contracts amount to a 15 percent loss in funding for the Edmonds Food Bank. “That’s a low number compared to other food banks.”
Campbell said the cuts represents about a 25 percent loss to the Sky Valley Food Bank budget.
In addition, a program jointly benefiting farmers and food banks called We Feed WA is scheduled to end in June. It was developed in 2021 in response to the pandemic to provide economic relief to farmers while providing low-barrier emergency food to people who need help.
“Gov. Ferguson has recommended increased funding for Food Assistance programs in his budget recommendations, and WSDA will invest in sustaining the Food Assistance program that we operate as efficiently and effectively as possible once a budget is signed,” Rains said.
Rains added the state is also maximizing its ability to accept TEFAP bonus food, which is food turned down by other states and available on a first-come, first-served basis. WSDA also procured about $1.3 million in food that went to other TEFAP organizations.
Glennon said Volunteers of America are applying for grants. “We’re really trying to diversify the pools that we have for this type of funding.”
Campbell said Sky Valley Food Bank will be soliciting donations, both cash and food, from the community so there will be the least impact to people seeking help. “I don’t want them to notice a change,” Campbell said.
Glennon added that he is monitoring situations at the state and federal levels and is anticipating reductions.
“Each day things keep changing,” Glennon said. “It’s kind of a waiting game at this point.”
