Food banks seek state assistance
The food banks want to maintain the $6.1 million that was provided in the current state budget and receive an additional $3 million related to outreach from the impact of Tropical Storm Helene. The state House and Senate are negotiating over a final state budget after different plans were passed by each chamber.
'In light of the current environment and historic numbers of individuals seeking assistance, the food banks requested additional funds for the upcoming year,' Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. said in a statement to The High Point Enterprise.
The state's food banks say that they face pressures of greater demand from people in need and a possible increase in requests for assistance if food stamp benefits are cut in the new federal budget being worked out by Congress, as the House has proposed.
The food banks also lost some federal funding when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in March that it was cutting $11 million that food banks in North Carolina had expected to receive through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. The money was used by food banks to purchase food from local farmers. Second Harvest lost $2 million.
The General Assembly has a history of supporting state food banks. The six Feeding America-affiliated food banks in North Carolina — along with Feeding the Carolinas, their state association that serves both Carolinas — have received grants from the state of North Carolina for the past 30 years, according to Second Harvest.
Second Harvest serves a network of 500 food assistance programs in an 18-county region, including 17 agencies serving the High Point and Jamestown areas. The food bank's local partners involve 19 food pantries, four shelters and three soup kitchens.
On average, local partners rely on Second Harvest for 80% of the food they provide to people in need, the food bank reports. For the new fiscal year starting July 1, Second Harvest is projecting its network will distribute nearly 40 million meals.
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