Multiple food-assistance programs have been the subject of federal cuts this year. That has also created challenges for food banks in Arizona.
Earlier this year, the USDA cut a billion dollars in federal programs that helped schools and food banks buy from local farms.
That has coincided with increasing demand for meals from pantries since the start of the pandemic and with rising food prices.
Natalie Jayroe is CEO of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. She says the cuts not only rattled food banks, but also local farmers.
“A lot of farmers were left with produce in their fields they could no longer sell. So it was extremely disruptive not only to us, but to farmers that were participating," Jayroe said.
Jayroe says they are bracing for tough years ahead, as cuts for Medicaid and the Emergency Food Assistance Program are set to go into full effect after midterm elections next year.
"You’ve got this whole crescendo of impacts and consequences that are going to unfold over the next few years," Jayroe said.
