‘It’s going to lead to more hungry people’: Cuts hit SnoCo food banks

EVERETT — Federal cuts to some food deliveries and assistance programs are compounding problems for food banks across Snohomish County, which are struggling to keep up with record demand.

Through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had allocated $500 million in food deliveries for fiscal year 2025. Last week, Politico reported that food bank leaders noticed many of these deliveries had been canceled.

At least one of these cancellations affects Washington State.

On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Agriculture discovered that a $4.7 million delivery had been canceled after being placed under review in February, spokesperson Daniel Schafer wrote in an email Tuesday. The delivery included items the state ordered for delivery from April to June.

Now, local food banks won’t receive some essential food items from the federal government, including milk, dried plums, dried cranberries, canned chicken, turkey breasts and chicken breasts. The USDA did not provide the state with a reason for the review or cancellation, Schafer said.

The cancellation comes after the USDA cut two programs that provided funding for schools and food banks to buy food from local farmers, totaling about $1 billion. One of these programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, would have provided $8.5 million to Washington state, Schafer said.

In 2022, more than 80,000 people faced food insecurity in Snohomish County, according to data from Feeding America.

Funding is also at risk at the state level. In his proposed budget for the 2025-27 biennium, Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed cutting food bank assistance by $52 million.

John Glennon, the executive director of hunger prevention services at Volunteers of America Western Washington, said the need for its services has increased in recent years. The number of people visiting the food banks recently are at the highest levels he’s seen since 2008, he said in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s to be determined what further cuts there are going to be, but it’s putting pressure on an already fragile system, exacerbating issues,” Glennon said. “It’s ultimately going to lead to more hungry people. That’s the reality of it.”

Volunteers of America runs two food banks in Snohomish County in Sultan and Everett, while also operating a distribution facility for about 20 other food banks in the area. The nonprofit received about $400,000 over the last two years as part of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, Glennon said, which not only brought nutrient-dense foods to its food banks, but also provided local farmers with a reliable source of funding. That funding has now been cut off.

At the Edmonds Food Bank, staff members plan food deliveries out months in advance based on local produce schedules and what’s available at the federal level, said Kelly Lewis, spokesperson for the food bank. That planning includes ensuring the food bank is offering a variety of nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits, dairy and proteins.

“Knowing that some of that might be pulled or cut at any time makes it super hard for us to be able to plan,” Lewis said.

The Arlington Food Bank is seeing record demand, wrote its executive director, Carla Rankin, in an email Monday. The food bank is trying to fill gaps in federal funding through private donations, she added, but it may not be enough.

“Cuts to the Farm Bill and USDA programs like TEFAP and SNAP are not just numbers on a page—they’re meals off the table for working families, seniors, veterans, and kids in our community,” Rankin wrote. “These decisions have real consequences, and local food banks cannot shoulder the burden alone.”

The Concern For Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace has seen its client numbers nearly double since the COVID-19 pandemic, wrote spokesperson Carla Brown in an email Tuesday.

“With these cuts, we will be forced to reduce the amount of nourishing food we distribute, limiting families’ access to healthy foods,” Brown said. “This lack of access can lead to health problems over time.”

The Edmonds Food Bank relies on state and federal support for about 20% of its foods, wrote Edmonds Food Bank executive director Casey Davis in an email Monday. But it’s hard to tell what the specific impacts will be, she said. Davis is also president of the Snohomish County Food Coalition.

“Although reports from the White House and various media outlets discuss changes in funding, there remains a lack of clarity regarding specific cuts and their timing from the USDA,” Davis said. “This lack of transparency makes it difficult for organizations like ours to adequately prepare for and address the potential impacts on our operations and the individuals we serve.”

The food bank has used nearly all of its funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Edmonds Food Bank served about 250 households per week. During the pandemic, it went up to 400 households. Last week, the food bank served more than 1,200, Davis said.

“All of the food banks are seeing increases,” she said. “The ones that aren’t seeing a lot of increases, it’s literally because they can’t be open any longer or they don’t have enough sources for accessing food.”

Megan Kemmett, executive director for the Snohomish Food Bank, said its organization is looking for community support to cover the lack of funding for local produce. It will host a booth at the Snohomish Farmers Market to solicit food donations.

The Marysville Community Food Bank’s food supply has been dwindling, its executive director Amy Howell wrote on Tuesday. The cuts will mean that food banks will struggle to meet the growing needs of their communities, she said.

“In my 16 years with the Marysville Community Food Bank, I have never encountered such difficulties in procuring food, not even during COVID,” Howell wrote.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Volunteers of America Western Washington operated a food bank in Monroe. The organization operates a food bank in Sultan.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.

To donate:

Volunteers of America: voaww.org/donate

Edmonds Food Bank: edmondsfoodbank.org/donate/

Arlington Food Bank: arlingtonfoodbank.org/contribute/

Concern for Neighbors Food Bank: concern4neighborsfb.org/donate

Snohomish Food Bank: snohomishfoodbank.org/support/

Marysville Food Bank: marysvillefoodbank.org/donate