716,000 meals canceled for Austin-area food bank as federal funding is cut

AUSTIN – KUT reports the Central Texas Food Bank is feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s funding cuts after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed more than a billion dollars in funding for programs that support food banks and help schools buy goods from local farmers. Within two weeks following the decision, 39 loads of food were canceled, said Beth Corbett, Central Texas Food Bank’s vice president of government affairs and advocacy. Those deliveries included pantry staples, dairy products and vegetables, as well as turkey, pork and chicken. “That equates to nearly 913,000 pounds of food. For perspective, that’s the equivalent of about 716,000 meals,” she said. The cuts are happening as demand for food assistance grows and grocery prices remain high.

The Central Texas Food Bank, which is headquartered in Austin, serves more than 93,000 families each month within a 21-county region. Corbett said the organization expects demand to rise. “We’re actually serving more people now than we did at the peak of the pandemic and really don’t see any signs of that slowing,” she said. In Texas, the food insecurity rate is 16.9%. That is the second highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S. and nearly 5% higher than the national average. According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, the state lost more than $107 million for programs that allowed food banks and schools to buy food locally. Corbett said these changes and cuts could mean people who visit a food pantry see less variety in the products available. “We’re currently spending about a million dollars a month to purchase food to make up for where we have shortfalls,” she said.