On April 2, the Chester County Food Bank announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled their $250,000 food order. To compensate for the canceled order, the food bank will need to purchase these goods from local farmers at increased retail prices. According to the food bank, it could lose up to $1 million worth of food orders this year if the cancellations continue.
“We received an email (from the USDA saying), ‘Hey, sorry that food order was canceled. It looks like it’s going to be continually canceled quarter over quarter. Have a nice day,’” said Food Bank Director of Community Relations Nicholas Imbesi.
The Chester County Board of Commissioners works closely with the food bank and believes the cuts will not impact the food bank’s operations now, but future cuts could change how the food bank operates internally. Following the news of the funding cuts, the food bank started an online community awareness campaign to spread news about the cancellation in an attempt to increase community donations. In addition to informing local residents, Chester County Board of Commissioners Chair Josh Maxwell encouraged state and federal elected officials to advocate for the restoration of federal funding.
“First, we made sure that (the food bank) had the ability to continue providing food to populations, and they do. Second, was (to) make it clear to our federal elected officials what this money was going towards. We (the Chester County Board of Commissioners) met with Senator (David) McCormick’s staff, Senator (John) Fetterman’s staff (and) Congresswoman (Chrissy) Houlahan and we started keeping a spreadsheet of food cuts,” Maxwell said. “So when they’re advocating on our behalf, hopefully they will have the details needed to provide that information.”
The food bank reported that last fiscal year, they distributed 4.6 million pounds of food and estimates distribution of more than 6 million pounds of food by the end of this fiscal year. The food bank provides food through more than 160 community partners throughout Chester County. Feeding America’s 2023 meal gap study found that 9.2% of people in Chester County suffered from food insecurity. This number has increased by 1.1% from the previous year’s study. As food insecurity rates rise, Imbesi feels that federal funding is important for the food bank to be able to accomplish its mission of providing food.
“We’re seeing a lot of individuals, a lot of families, struggling with food insecurity right now because of the cost-of-living crisis,” Imbesi said. “We are seeing increased need, so it’s a very poor time to withdraw any type of funding from us because we’re serving more and more people because of the simple cost of living that we’re experiencing in the county.”
The food bank also exclusively contracts with local farmers in Chester County to receive food. Local farmers sell food to the bank as a primary way to distribute their produce. Food bank officials state that without federal funding, the harvest could potentially go to waste.
“I believe, in my heart, that people will see the need and Congress will see the need,” said Chester County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Marian Moskowitz. “If these cuts are going to go long term, I don’t know that the food bank is going to be able to sustain itself with contributions, but we have to feed our people. So, long term, if we can’t feed people, that’s just dangerous.”
Nolan Talley can be reached at [email protected].
