USDA funding cuts slash food supply for Food Bank of Northern Nevada

(Corrections and clarifications: The Food Bank of Northern Nevada distributed 25 million pounds of food last year.)

Federal funding cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture programs have disrupted shipments of fresh, nutritious food to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada — affecting its ability to provide high-demand items like protein, eggs and dairy.

The food bank's 90,000-square-mile coverage area includes all of Northern Nevada and a sliver of eastern California. Last year, it distributed 25 million pounds of food, according to Jocelyn Lantrip, director of marketing and communications for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.

Food banks across the country, already strained by rising demand, say they expect to have less food to distribute due to at least $1 billion in federal funding cuts and program pauses by the USDA, according to Reuters interviews with organizations in seven states.

USDA funding shifts for local food programs

The impacted food comes primarily from the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, which purchases food from farmers and distributes it to local food pantries.

One reason for the shortfall is that the USDA is reviewing the TEFAP program and has paused half of its funding — $500 million — that was previously allocated through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), a discretionary pool that funds various agricultural programs.

CCC funding for TEFAP provided the Food Bank of Northern Nevada with 2.1 million pounds of food and $237,000 to cover administrative and distribution costs in fiscal year 2025. Now, orders expected to arrive between April and August have been canceled.

Canceled shipments cut into supply of key items

The canceled shipments would have included more than 350,000 pounds of food — including eggs and dairy.

The food bank is also losing support from the Home Feeds Nevada program, which was eliminated following the cancellation of USDA funding through the Local Food Purchase Assistance program. Home Feeds Nevada, administered by the Nevada Department of Agriculture, used federal funds to source food from local growers and producers.

The initiative helped the food bank distribute 1.1 million pounds of food annually. Most of it was perishable and nutritious — fresh produce, protein, and dairy — items that are often more difficult for food banks to obtain, Lantrip said. The program served communities across the food bank’s 13-county service area.

"There is a significant amount of protein and dairy that come through both of these programs that are being eliminated," Lantrip said. "That product is a little tougher to source for food banks, and it's not something that comes through continually in the donation stream."

While 1.1 million pounds is a relatively small portion of the food bank’s total annual distribution of 25 million pounds of food, according to Lantrip, "it's really significant and nutritious product." 

The food bank relies on a variety of sources and donation streams to supply its programs and coverage areas. To make up for the shortfall, the food bank will need to spend more money and effort to replace those items from other sources.

Demand surges as support programs vanish

In the last year, the food bank has seen an increase in the number of working families and seniors using its services. It serves roughly 160,000 people every month, which is 76% higher than before the pandemic, Lantrip said. Many of those coming to the food bank have cited increases in the cost of living, rising rents and the reduction of seniors' pandemic-era SNAP benefits in April 2023, Lantrip said.

"We hope the programs come back. Obviously, they're great programs for our communities," Lantrip said.

Going forward, the food bank will seek out additional products to replace the programs that it lost in order to continue serving the growing number of people who rely on the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.

"Failure is not an option," she said.

Leah Douglas, P.J. Huffstutter and Renee Hickman of Reuters contributed to this report.