The Big Picture: Hunger on the Rise

Rochester’s Foodlink, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating hunger, convened its annual “Nourish” conference Thursday, amidst growing concerns about food insecurity. The conference highlighted the increasing strain on food banks due to a combination of record-high demand and potential federal funding cuts.

Vince Hall, Chief government Relations Officer for Feeding America, delivered the keynote address, focusing on the potential ramifications of these cuts.

Inside the “Nourish” Conference

The “Nourish” conference served as a crucial platform for hundreds of food bank members. They gathered to discuss strategies, share experiences, and reinforce their commitment to combating food insecurity in their communities. Foodlink, based in Rochester, aims to build healthier communities by tackling the root causes of hunger.

• Networking: members connected with peers, exchanging valuable insights.
• Leadership Insights: Attendees heard directly from Foodlink leadership about the institution’s strategic direction.
• mission Reinforcement: The conference strengthened the collective resolve to support neighbors in need.

Community Agencies Feeling the pressure

Julia Tedesco, President and CEO of Foodlink, emphasized the growing hardship faced by families in the region. They’re seeing more and more folks turning to emergency food pantries, needing assistance, and our commitment is to help in every single way we can, even in the face of these USDA cuts, Tedesco said.

Federal Funding Cuts: A Double Blow

The potential reduction in federal funding is especially concerning because of its impact on the quality and quantity of food available.

USDA provides really healthy American grown commodities, they support not only American farmers, but they feed our community members, so it’s a loss not only in just quantity of food but really high quality foods.
Julia Tedesco, President and CEO of Foodlink

Feeding America’s Outlook

Hall’s presentation, titled “Serving the Line, Shortening the Line, and Ending the Line: the Role of Public Policy in Ending Hunger,” focused on the policy side, emphasizing the importance of ensuring consistent access to nutritious food for those facing hunger.

Serving the line is a core mission in making sure that our neighbors facing hunger have a consistent access to a diverse array of healthy nutritious foods,that means having enough food. About 23% of the food that flows through the Feeding America network is USDA provided.
Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer for Feeding America

Unprecedented Strain on Food Banks

Hall noted a concerning trend: record-high demand for food bank services coupled with record-low unemployment. This is an unusual situation, as these two factors typically move in opposite directions.

The reality is that the food banking system is stressed to the breaking point right now because we’re seeing record-high demand and diminished resources. There’s very little resiliency left in the system.We are maximizing our ability to commit resources to the mission and barely able to serve the populations we are already serving.
Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer for Feeding America

Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry: A microcosm of the Crisis

Deb MacLean, with the Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry, echoed these concerns, reporting a significant increase in demand and new families seeking assistance.

We had double the number of new families that we normally see in a month last month; we’re seeing a lot more seniors also.
Deb MacLean, Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry

MacLean is preparing for potential cuts while hoping for the best, emphasizing the need for adaptability.

From the client perspective their just really concerned their benefits are gonna get cut and their already seeing the cost of everything is so expensive, people are nervous.
Deb MacLean, Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry

Further Reading

For more data on the impact of federal funding cuts on food banks and farmers, see: ‘Going to be a lot of hungry people’: Food banks, farmers across US decry federal cuts