Bay Area food banks brace for impact of USDA cuts

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Local food banks are scrambling after the Trump administration announced it would cut about $500 million in funding and food deliveries.

Despite the cuts, local food banks said they will do their best to work around the reductions and continue serving their communities.

At Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, volunteers were busy as usual on Monday, packing food into boxes to be sent to dozens of partner organizations.

Second Harvest receives some funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it also gets direct food deliveries.

Tracy Weatherby of Second Harvest said historically, the organization has received about 10% of its food through a federal program called the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).

"We have seen in real-time that a lot of our emergency food assistance programs' deliveries have been canceled," Weatherby said.

'The COVID-era is over

What they're saying:

In a statement, the USDA confirmed the program cuts, saying: "Unlike the Biden administration, which funneled billions in CCC funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over—USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward."

What lies ahead is uncertain

Local perspective:

"We don’t know what that means. We don’t know if those are going to be re-provided at some point or if that is going to be food that is lost to our community," Weatherby said.

Second Harvest provides food to organizations like Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, one of about 400 distribution partner organizations. These organizations provide food at distribution points throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Tabitha Cisneros, who works on the front lines, said clients are already asking about changes to the contents of the food boxes, which include proteins like chicken and fish.

"Sometimes they are asking me, ‘Hey, is there any more chicken? Is there any more of this? Is there any more meats, any more eggs coming any time soon?’" she said. "And unfortunately, I cannot provide them a date when they are going to come back."

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank said in a statement it has seen a reduction of about 680,000 pounds of USDA food deliveries in the past few weeks, which would cost an estimated $300,000 to replace some of the canceled USDA items through June.

The SF-Marin Food Bank, like Second Harvest, said it is too early to determine all of the changes that may be coming from the USDA and what the long-term impact might be.

Local food providers say they are hoping additional private donations can help offset some of these cuts.