On March 6th, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle joined nearly 200 food banks from across the nation for a fly-in to Washington, D.C., where we asked lawmakers representing our service area to strengthen vital anti-hunger programs in the federal “Farm Bill.” The fly-in was organized by the Feeding America national network of food banks, of which the Food Shuttle is a member.
The Farm Bill is the vehicle for the funding of federal nutrition programs such as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and TEFAP, the Emergency Food Assistance Program. SNAP is the most effective hunger-relief program in the U.S., providing monthly grocery benefits to households with very low incomes. TEFAP is a federal nutrition program that moves food from U.S. farms and producers to local food banks to families and communities facing hunger.
In North Carolina, 10.7% of the population experienced food insecurity between 2020 and 2022, according to the USDA. Feeding America estimates that 1 in 6 were children. That’s 353,450 children. And the NC Division of Health and Human Services reports that adults over 60 years of age are food insecure at a higher rate in North Carolina than the national average.
The need in our communities is echoed by USDA data finding that in 2022, 44 million people experienced food insecurity, compared to 34 million in 2021. The numbers have not been that high since 2014 and the jump last year was the largest one-year increase since 2008.
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s food recovery and distribution operation distributed 10+ million pounds of food in fiscal year 2022-23. But our food costs have shot up – by more than 420% since 2019. Feeding America finds North Carolinians need $774,541,000 more per year to relieve food insecurity. This is a need at levels that food banks cannot meet alone.
The Food Shuttle and Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC shared information and perspective with the offices of U.S. Representatives Deborah Ross, Wiley Nickel, Don Davis and Valerie Foushee, whose districts include one or more counties in our service areas. We also spoke with staff for Senator Tillis and Senator Budd.
We discussed the benefits of strengthening two programs in the next Farm Bill as follows:
Ensure SNAP’s purchasing power aligns with rising grocery prices. SNAP should provide adequate support during tough economic times. This will decrease the need for charitable food assistance, helping to reduce the strain on food banks. We should also simplify eligibility and enrollment for older adults, college students, veterans, working families and other people facing barriers. And we should improve assistance to individuals seeking employment.
Double funding for TEFAP. This will help ensure food banks can serve everyone who comes through their doors, and it will support the U.S. agricultural economy. Funding for storage and distribution should be increased, infrastructure grants should be fully funded, and Congress should boost funding for the TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Program, which funds state projects to harvest, package, and transport food donations from local farmers.
Picured: Jennifer Caslin and Carol Parish along with staffer Quinn O’Connor of Representative Wiley Nickel's office, Alexander Blanton of Representative Valerie Foushees' office, Nathaniel Dullea of Representative Don Davis' office, Nora Dickson of Representative Deborah K. Ross' office, and Matthew Ide of Senator Ted Budd's office.
In our state, hunger is hiding in plain sight. Food security for all is the first step in creating stability, so that our neighbors are nourished and healthy, and empowered to build full and financially secure lives.