'We're already stretched thin' | Tri-State nonprofits feel the pinch of recent $1 billion USDA cuts

CINCINNATI — Amid a growing need for food-security services, Tri-State nonprofits have been met with federal funding cuts that look to impact how much fresh, local produce students and low-income families will have to eat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, announced it would terminate two programs worth $1 billion in federal funding: the Local Foods for Schools program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program (LFPA).

The programs terminated supported schools and food banks in buying fresh produce, dairy and protein items from local farmers. Without it, some families and students will lose out on nutritious food, said Amberlee Finkes, the director of development at Shared Harvest Food Bank.

Learn more about the impact of USDA program funding cuts to Tri-State nonprofits in the video below:

"(It) not only provides wholesome food and nutritious food to our neighbors, but allows us to bolster those Ohio farmers," Finkes said. "And, without the program, we're afraid that we may lose some of those relationships we've developed over the last several years."

Over the course of two years and several rounds of funding, Finkes said the programs helped her organization purchase 700,000 pounds of food, which equals roughly 530,000 meals.

"There's always been a gap with the fresh produce, the dairy, the meat — the things that really are more expensive in the grocery stores — and the things that our families need to make sure they're all eating healthy and fighting their own food insecurities," she said.

Maddy Schmidt

Under the cuts, Shared Harvest looks to lose about a tenth of its output.

"As a pandemic-era program, LFPA will now be sunsetted at the end of the performance period, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives," said a USDA spokesperson in a statement to Scripps News Group. "The COVID era is over — USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward."

The Tri-State food banks WCPO 9 News spoke with for this story said the current demand has well surpassed pandemic levels.

"We're seeing a 35% increase over last year, and last year was our historically high water mark for (our) 54-year history," said Kurt Reiber, CEO of the Freestore Food Bank. "We distributed over 47 million meals (in 2024). And, even during the peak of the pandemic, the most we did was 43 million meals."

Maddy Schmidt

Each food bank received the same fixed amount of funding under the programs, meaning its loss has an outsized impact on smaller, rural nonprofits working to fight food insecurity.

"This isn't an abrupt shift — just last week, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases," read a statement from a USDA spokesperson. "With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food."

The program terminations come amid a growing price pinch felt by both food banks and families.

"The families that we're serving in the Tri-State area, through our 600 plus pantries, are feeling the pinch of inflation in food and gas, in child care and housing," Reiber said.

While disappointed, both Finkes and Reiber are hoping to work with state government officials, the U.S. Congress and officials with the USDA to bolster support for their operations going forward.

"We look forward to working with our longtime partners at the USDA and Congress and our state government to ensure that we can continue to provide wholesome foods to our families and work with our farmers so that they can thrive," Finkes said.