Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we reflect on another year of service and progress, I am proud to share with you the enclosed 2024 Annual Report from Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. This report offers a snapshot of the impact we’ve made together, through partnerships, volunteers, and your generous support, as we address food insecurity across our region.
Many of you are aware of recent Executive Orders and legislation affecting multiple sectors, including ours. The USDA recently canceled $500 million in food purchases for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). We are deeply concerned that without that food, we and our partner agencies will struggle to meet the current high demand for food assistance. As of now, SHFB has identified at least 12 canceled orders that we expected to receive between May 31 and July 31, consisting of 9,438 cases of food, including fresh eggs and milk, produce, and meat.
Fortunately, (non-CCC) purchases through the TEFAP program have continued, and the USDA recently approved $261 million in TEFAP bonus purchases of fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. It’s not unusual for new administrations to redirect funding to priority programs that it develops which may differ from those of the previous administration. We are hopeful that the new administration will follow a similar path and redirect these funds back to TEFAP through its own programs.
Last year, TEFAP provided over 21% of the total food distributed, CCC funded TEFAP product accounted for close to a third of that food, amounting to 1,605,711 meals. These are significant quantities of high-quality, nutritious food that are important to our ability to meet the needs of our agencies and neighbors.
While we’re deeply concerned, we remain hopeful these changes are temporary. The partnerships between the USDA, farmers, and food banks are essential in the fight against hunger, and the bottom line is that we cannot afford to lose this food and keep up the same levels of service to people in need. We must make it clear to policymakers that losing this food means reduced service levels, at least in the short term.
Food received through programs funded by the USDA goes straight to Food Banks, but there are also other government-funded programs accessed directly by neighbors that are in danger of being modified. We are also anxious about reports of proposals to lessen SNAP dollars for participants and/or shift SNAP costs to states. Forcing states to cover a portion of SNAP benefits would abandon the long-standing federal commitment to ensuring families can afford an adequate diet, regardless of where they live.
Now is the time to work together to advocate for healthy food for our neighbors through any means possible. We will also continue to seek volunteer and monetary support from individuals, foundations, and businesses in the communities we serve so that we can stay true to the strong commitment we have to our Mission – to provide help for today by feeding the hungry and hope for tomorrow by addressing the causes of food insecurity while empowering people toward self-sufficiency.
Thank you,
Bekah Clawson
President and CEO
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana