The Food Bank of Delaware recently announced that 19 food shipments, the equivalent of 900 meals, were cancelled at the federal level. According to Chad Robinson, Vice-President of External Affairs at the Food Bank, this will result in a 26 percent reduction in the food available for needy families in the area.
“This disruption could not have come at a worse time,” Cathy Kanefsky, President and CEO of the Food Bank, said in a press release. “Rising food prices and persistent economic hardships continue to drive demand for services across the state.”
On March 12, a few weeks prior to the announcement of the cancelled shipments, Robinson presented information to Milford City Council on the services provided by the Food Bank. He pointed out that there are still many people in the area that are dealing with food insecurity.
“If people can’t eat, if we cannot provide food for children, they’re never going to achieve anything beyond that,” Robinsons said. “We hear things like ‘I’m working but I just am not making enough,’ ‘I could make twice as much but my car is not reliable,’ things like that. This is why we offer workforce development programs, two in culinary, one in warehousing and logistics, where we are training folks with the skill they need to get entry level jobs in those fields.”
Robinson explained that there was a garden on their property that was utilized last year, providing good, fresh produce to those in need. When asked if things have changed since the end of the pandemic almost four years ago, Robinson stated that although people using the services at the Food Bank has gone down slightly, it has not gone down as much as anticipated.
“Financial resources that were there during COVID are no longer there,” Robinson explained when asked if they were feeling strapped financially. “That level of distribution is still there in that way. We are definitely thinking about how we can sustain this level of distribution going forward in this financial climate.”
Some members of the community are questioning how much of an impact the loss of 19 truckloads of food will actually have on the organization. Although Robinson stated that those truckloads represent 26 percent of the food distributed in the area, it may actually be lower. At the council meeting, Robinson stated that the organization received and distributed 19.5 million pounds of food last year, totaling 7.4 million meals. This would mean a loss of 900,000 meals would equal just over 12 percent, which could still be significant in this area.
Others point to the fact that the financial Statement of Activities posted on the Food Bank website show net revenue of $58 million. Food distribution cost the organization almost $37 million and net assets grew by over $12 million from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. There are also concerns that the funding was related to the COVID pandemic, something the Food Bank refuted on social media.
“Recently, there have been two stories about funding cuts for food banks across the nation,” the post read. “One billion was cancelled through the local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. This provided funding for schools and food banks to purchase products from local growers. The Food Bank of Delaware was not affected by this.”
The post continued.
“We have been impacted by cancellation of food shipments through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP),” it read. “The USDA’s TEFAP has long been a lifeline, since its establishment in 1983, for food banks, supplying essential items like fresh produce, dairy, protein and shelf-stable items.”
The Food Bank did not replay to comments related to the net assets or salaries of top-level staff which were also shared on social media.
The community is rallying behind the Food Bank, making monetary donations, starting online fundraisers and hosting food drives. On Tuesday, April 1, an emergency donation drive was held in Newark with more than a dozen Delaware legislators in attendance. Another will be held Thursday, April 3 from 6 to 8 PM at the Food Bank of Delaware Milford location and attended by Representative Bryan Shupe and Senator Dave Wilson. Visitors are asked to bring non-perishable food items such as hot and cold cereal, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats as well as rice and pasta.
For more information, contact the Food Bank of Delaware at 302-424-3301 or stop by 100 Veteran’s Circle in Milford.
