The Central Texas Food Bank is feeling the effects of the Trump administration's funding cuts after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed more than a billion dollars in funding for programs that support food banks and help schools buy goods from local farmers.
Within two weeks following the decision, 39 loads of food were canceled, said Beth Corbett, Central Texas Food Bank's vice president of government affairs and advocacy. Those deliveries included pantry staples, dairy products and vegetables, as well as turkey, pork and chicken.
“That equates to nearly 913,000 pounds of food. For perspective, that’s the equivalent of about 716,000 meals,” she said.
The cuts are happening as demand for food assistance grows and grocery prices remain high. The Central Texas Food Bank, which is headquartered in Austin, serves more than 93,000 families each month within a 21-county region. Corbett said the organization expects demand to rise.
“We’re actually serving more people now than we did at the peak of the pandemic and really don’t see any signs of that slowing,” she said.
In Texas, the food insecurity rate is 16.9%. That is the second highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S. and nearly 5% higher than the national average.
According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, the state lost more than $107 million for programs that allowed food banks and schools to buy food locally. Corbett said these changes and cuts could mean people who visit a food pantry see less variety in the products available.
“We’re currently spending about a million dollars a month to purchase food to make up for where we have shortfalls,” she said.
But one gap that can’t be filled is a program the Central Texas Food Bank was helping to support at several local school districts. The USDA canceled 2025 funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program.
The program allowed school districts to buy produce and other products from local farms to serve to students. The Central Texas Food Bank was working with Lake Travis ISD, Manor ISD and Florence ISD to help them access locally grown goods.
Lianka Soliz is the senior director of food and nutrition services and transportation at Lake Travis ISD. She said the district has long been committed to providing local items in its cafeterias, but the Local Food for Schools program helped them work with the Central Texas Food Bank to develop a supply chain infrastructure to get products from farmers to schools.
“I think bottomline what the funding let us do that was different from what we were doing before was…really work to perfect that infrastructure that allowed us to get the food in easier and in a more predictable manner,” she said.
Soliz said some of the items Lake Travis ISD was able to get from local farmers to serve to students include lunchbox peppers, kale, sweet potatoes, chicken and beef.
“So our hamburger patties that we are serving are local,” she said.
Lake Travis ISD had to use up the funds for the program by March 31, Soliz said. She added that even without the grant the district remains committed to buying food from farmers in the area.
While the impact of USDA cuts is evolving, Corbett said food banks are uniquely positioned to navigate changes.
“We’re in the business of emergency food access and distribution every day, [we] can play a key role in the creation of new programs that might emerge under the new administration,” she said.
However, Corbett said there will be consequences if cuts to federal funding continue.
“I think we would unfortunately expect less food to be available for the families we serve,” she said.
