SNOHOMISH COUNTY, JULY 17: In 2024, Volunteers of America of Western Washington (VOAWW) food banks supported more than 44,000 families, and nearly 139 thousand people across Snohomish County.
It is no surprise that food banks across the U.S. have been struggling with higher demands and fewer resources due to rising costs and reduced government assistance.
With the passing of President Donald Trump’s proclaimed “big, beautiful bill”, food banks in the county are preparing for even tighter margins.
U.S. Representative Rick Larsen met with VOAWW officials at the Everett food bank last week to get a better understanding of the impacts of the big bill on food banks in the county.
Last year, VOAWW received $150,000 in Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) funding for their distribution center in Arlington, and an additional $25,000 for the Everett and Sultan food banks.
This year, no funding was awarded to the VOAWW from EFSP due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program freeze.
“The initial hit from the billion-dollar U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cuts were massive”, Brian Smith, VOAWW President and CEO, said. “You got The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and EFSP.”
In March, the USDA cut two federal programs that provided $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks which allowed partnerships with local farmers and distributors. The decision was part of the Trump administration’s initiative to “reduce government waste.”
The USDA has cut $500 million from LFPA and, more recently, cut an additional $500 million from TEFAP. The agency said it’s redirecting the funds to fight bird flu.
TEFAP provides low-income individuals and families with access to food through partnerships with the federal, state and local agencies.
The funding the VOAWW received from TEFAP makes up roughly 10-15% of food intake, John Glennon, VOAWW executive director for hunger prevention services, said.
One of the biggest impacts will be cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Glennon said.
“When SNAP benefits go away, it’s going to take a food bank system that is already at capacity, that’s already increasing, and put more pressure on it,” Glennon said.
The big bill will reduce federal SNAP spending by $186 billion over the next 10 years. SNAP recipients, more than 908 thousand in Washington, will receive less in their monthly allotment, a nearly $100 decrease for a family of four.
“The thing that I think every food bank would say is ‘our doors will be open and we’re committed to that’. It’s just people are going to end up getting less food and the lines are going to be exceptionally longer,” Glennon said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, VOAWW distributed 3 million pounds of food in 2019. In 2024, they distributed 10 million pounds.
With the anticipated cuts and the reduction to food coming in, VOAWW is looking at a projection of 5 million pounds for the 2025 fiscal year, Glennon said.
“We have never turned people away because we don’t have food on the shelves. But if you ask us in five years, we might not be able to say that,” Glennon said.
