Western NC food banks, pantries in Helene-ravaged communities see federal funding cuts
Western North Carolina food banks hope their communities and elected officials start speaking up.
Still reeling from Helene, the federal government’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program helped knit together the local supply chain, food bank leaders say. The food banks bought directly from locally owned farms to secure healthy produce, dairy and meat for families in need.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in early March it canceled the LFPA, Politico reported. The cuts will affect schools too, with the USDA also cutting hundreds of millions from a similar program.
Now, MANNA FoodBank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC say they’re facing a multi-million dollar funding gap as they work to serve communities still recovering from the September tropical storm that caused widespread devastation.
“Losing this support is devastating, not merely because of the financial setback, but because it directly affects an essential lifeline connecting agriculture, regional economic well-being, and the health of WNC families,” MANNA CEO Claire Neal said in a statement.
Other organizations and schools districts across North Carolina — including Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Nourish Up and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools — may feel the impact, too.
They’re hoping communities and officials advocate for funding to return and help fill the gap.
Western North Carolina food banks face funding gap
North Carolina was poised to receive more than $11.4 million in funding through the LFPA program, according to MANNA’s statement. The Asheville-based group, which serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina, received about $1.3 million through the program last year.
That money allowed the group “to source healthy food options from over 66 local farms within a 400-mile radius.” Now, it’s navigating the program’s termination.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC faces a $2 million funding gap, spokeswoman Jenny Moore told The Charlotte Observer. The LFPA funding provided people with chronic health conditions healthy, locally sourced food.
Both organizations said the program was a “win-win-win” for the food banks, families in need of food assistance and independent local farmers in need of business.
“By directly buying produce, eggs, dairy, grains, and meat from nearby farms — many of them still recovering from Hurricane Helene — LFPA+ doesn’t just provide funding; it knits together the local supply chain in a way that boosts farm incomes, keeps dollars circulating in our communities, and delivers healthier meal options to those who need it most,” Neal said in a statement.
She said MANNA “strongly encourages” community members, policymakers and partner organizations “to advocate robust support for local agriculture and food banks — whether through the restoration of LFPA+ or similar funding streams”
Charlotte organizations brace for impacts, too
Charlotte-area communities will feel impacts too, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina CEO Kay Carter told the Observer. Farmers who previously used LFPA dollars to fund extra production will be forced to scale back, she predicted.
“The food banks are impacted because the food provided through the program has been eliminated,” Carter, whose organization serves Mecklenburg and 23 other counties in North and South Carolina, said in a statement. “This directly affects people who are hungry because they no longer have access to the fresh produce, meat and dairy this program was providing.”
When food banks, which store food to distribute to groups such as food pantries, are hit, there’s a negative “trickle down” impact on other community groups by limiting supplies, said Nourish Up Chief Operating Officer Danielle Moore.
The loss of the LFPA will particularly hinder Nourish Up in its efforts to provide healthy, balanced meals. The group was formerly known as Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays.
“We can feed everyone twice over, you know, in this country with junk food … but we pride ourselves on giving out nutritionally balanced groceries because we want our neighbors to be healthy,” Moore said.
Moore worries smaller food pantries will become strained, send people to Nourish Up and further strain its abilities, too.
“We’ve been around for 50 years, and we’ve never had to turn someone away, and we’ll continue to feed as many people as we can,” she said. “But it is quite alarming anytime you’re talking about a cut in a food source.”
The group is in need of volunteers and donations as well as folks willing to reach out to elected officials about what they’re facing, Moore said.
“Everyone should be calling their representatives to let them know how important these programs are to the well being of the community,” she said.
What about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools?
The USDA also canceled about $660 million in funding slated to go to schools to also help them buy healthy food from local farmers to serve to students, according to Politico.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools previously received $541,142.70 through that program and expected to get additional dollars in a second phase, spokesman Justin Bachman said.
Bachman told the Observer CMS has “seen reports that program is being discontinued” but hasn’t been “notified of any decisions.”
“We are hopeful we will receive phase 2 funds to offer more locally grown products on our menu,” he said in a statement.
Funding cuts for school lunches could mean more families turning to organizations such as Nourish Up in order to feed their kids, Moore said.
“If they can’t get it there, then chances are their families, if they’re not already working with us, will turn to us for support,” she said.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Western NC food banks, pantries in Helene-ravaged communities see federal funding cuts."
