Cnn
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In the coming weeks, the shelves of dozens of pantry in the county of Fresno in California will be a little more empty. Visitors will not be able to bring home as much grocery store, and their bags will contain fewer nutrients such as chicken, eggs, milk and cheese.
It is largely because the American department of agriculture has interrupted $ 500 million in deliveries to food banks nationwide that the Biden administration announced last year, several food banks said in CNN.
The California central food bank, which distributes food to 60 pantry in the county, recently learned that 13 grocery trucks – worth $ 850,000 – which should be delivered between April and July have been canceled. This comes at a time when many residents find it difficult to afford food, as supermarket prices remain high, said Natalie Caples, the Food Bank CO-PDG.
“My food bank in Fresno cannot magic for $ 850,000 and 500,000 pounds of food to reimburse this cancellation,” said Caples, noting that the non -profit organization is already being deficit. “This means that neighbors get less food when they appear on these distribution sites, and they get a less variety of food.”
The USDA confirmed to Feeding America, a national network of more than 200 food banks and 60,000 meal programs, which the agency examines funding, said Vince Hall, director of government relations for the non -profit association.
“We hope that the exam will end with a decision to continue investing dollars CCC (Commodity Credit Corporation) in food purchases,” said Hall, noting that food banks from one ocean to another are in danger of not having enough articles to meet the need. The problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where food banks depend even more on the grocery store provided by the government.
The funding of $ 500 million came from the USDA CREDITY CREDITY CREDITY, which sometimes provides additional resources to buy food from US farmers and breeders and send it to emergency food suppliers. The break comes shortly after the agency announced that it is End two COVVI-19 ERA programs This provided money to food banks and schools to buy food from farmers and local and regional breeders, which stopped some $ 1 billion in funding.
Asked for comments on the break, the USDA said that the Biden administration had created “unusual programs and expectations using the Commodity Credit Corporation”.
The agency noted that it continued to buy food for the emergency food aid program, spending more than $ 166 million so far, which started on October 1. In addition, it bought more than $ 300 million in various poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables and tree nuts thanks to another assistance program and recently approved additional $ 261 million in purchases of fruits, vegetables and vegetables.
Politico reported for the first time Stopping food deliveries.
In the metropolitan region of Washington, DC, the capital Area Food Bank rushes to replace $ 1.3 million in food deliveries that have been canceled, said Radha Muthiah, CEO of the non -profit organization, which served 64 million meals through more than 400 partners’ agencies last year. Some 27 trucks containing the equivalent of 670,000 meals, including chicken, eggs, blueberries and other very nutritious items, are now listed as “returned” in the USDA portal, she said.
The food bank turns to its supporters – including food retailers and wholesalers, companies, foundations, individual and other donors – to try to fill at least part of the gap, although it is difficult to do in such a short time, said Muthiah.
“We are really very hard not to reduce the amount of food circulating in our network because we know that people are necessary at the moment and potentially necessary by more people who could be affected by certain reductions in labor of the federal government“Said Muthiah.
But not all food banks can turn to private and business donors to compensate for the loss of food applied by the USDA.
Feeding the southwest of Virginia, which serves 26 mainly rural counties, had 10 trucks containing $ 513,000 in break in break. He does not have the resources to buy food to replace these deliveries now committed, said Pamela Irvine, CEO of the non -profit organization.
“We have to make difficult decisions, as are families or neighbors who have difficulties now,” said Irvine. “It may be that some of our agencies and programs will have to provide less food, or we might provide food for fewer neighbors.”