The Food Bank of South Jersey Navigates Uncertainty Serving Communities
Photo courtesy of The Food Bank of South Jersey
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced as part of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University’s South Jersey Information Equity Project fellowship and supported with funding from the Independence Public Media Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
BY MONIQUE HOWARD | AC JosepH Media
PENNSAUKEN — As countless funding cuts to vital programs and organizations send shockwaves nationwide, food banks are now feeling the strain.
According to TODAY, the Trump administration’s efforts to combat inflation by reducing government spending resulted in two key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs being severely cut this year, totaling more than 1 billion in purchasing.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are essential programs affected by the Trump administration’s aggressive fund-slashing.
With losses amounting to $660 million in funding for school food programs and $500 million designated for food banks and domestic agriculture, much remains uncertain.
The Food Bank of South Jersey depends on USDA for nearly 20% of its food supply.
Sarah Geiger, the senior director of programs and services at The Food Bank of South Jersey, hopes to offer clarity amidst these challenging times.
“We have experienced some of the cuts so far,” Geiger explains in an interview with Front Runner New Jersey. “We already had a cut that amounted to about 150,000 meals. They expect that to reach about half a million. We operate on several USDA programs, but they have cut The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and other community food programs.”
Despite price inflation and mass layoffs, Geiger has not seen an increase in receipts receiving food.
As with crises such as COVID-19 and weather-related emergencies, learning to adapt to change is essential in Geiger’s line of work.
“So, with this gap in service of what is available to us in terms of food coming from the government, what we are doing is purchasing and also bringing in more donations to make up the difference,” she said.
Geiger continues, “We were using the LFPA program. That’s one of our programs to purchase from, but they also donate to us. That will become much harder without federal support.”
Funding cuts will majorly impact underserved communities.
“I’d say the biggest impact is going to be hitting the low-income school districts,” she admits. “Camden County, certainly in Gloucester City and Lindenwold, places like that where you see a lot of reduced lunch programs, you’re going to see participation in those programs.”
Not deterred by uncertainty Geiger remains committed to the food bank’s mission to serve South Jersey communities.
“We are used to working in shifting landscapes,” she states. “Certainly, this is far more shifting than we usually work in, as there are so many unknowns, and it’s a very unpredictable landscape.”
Scenario planning helps prepare Geiger and other staff at The Food Bank of South Jersey when purchasing or gathering donated food and storing and transporting food. It is also beneficial to serving the food bank’s agency network.
Geiger acknowledges that food insecurity can happen in any county and even in one’s neighborhood.
“Don’t hesitate to consider how you might be able to help,” she encourages. “Go to our website and find out how you can volunteer or donate. In these shifting, unpredictable times, these changes can impact a lot more people, and it’s important for you to remember each other.”
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