Growth and Adaptation: May at the Foodbank
Meredith Knopp
It’s finally May, and with all the rain we have endured across the region, I look forward to seeing the most incredible display of flowers ever! In addition to the change in months and hopefully weather, May brings many wonderful changes. With high school and college graduations, and the end of another school year and the beginning of summer, there continues to be change in the world around us. Since we continue to have inquiries from across the region about changes to programs, I thought it might help to share what we do know, what we do NOT know, and how we plan to navigate the only constant thing in life – change.
What We Know: The LFPA program
The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) was established by the previous administration and has been funded in part through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) in recent years. This program has been a valuable resource in supporting local food systems, making connections, providing an economic boost to local farmers, and providing nutritious food within our service area. The St. Louis Area Foodbank only participates in LFPA in Illinois.
We have received confirmation that all authorized funds for the first two rounds of LFPA can be fully expended. This is positive news for our organization, our farmers, and our partner agencies, who have benefited from the excellent food that this program has provided. It is important to note that this is a POSITIVE change from earlier reports about this program, which is precisely why we never overreact to early reports of potential change. We are truly grateful for this evolution.
The third round of funding, known as LFPA25, which was announced last October, has been cancelled. This effectively means the LFPA program will terminate once the currently authorized funds from the first two rounds are fully utilized. There are (as of the date this blog is posted) no plans for the LFPA program to continue into the next fiscal year.
What We Do NOT Know: The LFPA program
We knew that LFPA was a program that would not continue in perpetuity. Programs, funding priorities, and how we do business are constantly changing. We do not yet know what new funding opportunities or programs will present themselves, but we are optimistic that something will emerge in the future. And when it does, we will be ready.
What We Know: TEFAP
Currently, there is uncertainty regarding the future of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a long-standing and vital source of food for food banks in the Feeding America network. The St. Louis Area Foodbank is fortunate and grateful to manage the only TEFAP contract in our region and to receive these USDA commodities through the TEFAP program. These commodities provide essential food for individuals and families facing food insecurity across our 26-county service area in Eastern Missouri and Southwest Illinois.
We have experienced a slight disruption to the Illinois TEFAP commodity deliveries, but none thus far in Missouri. It is critical to understand that USDA food purchases can be subject to delays or cancellations due to various factors, including monetary or prolonged supply chain issues, or other unforeseen circumstances. We have experienced delays before, so this is not a new situation.
What We Do NOT Know: TEFAP
What is important to note is that there is currently uncertainty around the future of TEFAP funding, so we do not know what the future holds (just as we, like you, could not predict the future and know that COVID was going to happen). We understand that a potential discontinuation or reduction in TEFAP funding would substantially impact the amount of food we can distribute. While we could not fully replace the significant volume of food we currently receive and distribute through the TEFAP program, we remain committed to sourcing and providing healthy and nutritious foods across all 26 counties we serve.
Our Commitment Moving Forward- Today, Tomorrow, and in the Future
We all face challenges and changes in our lives, so this idea is not new. It is critical for you to know that the St. Louis Area Foodbank remains steadfast in our commitment and mission of providing food assistance to our neighbors in need throughout Eastern Missouri and Southwest Illinois. We will continue to aggressively explore all available avenues to source nutritious food to support our partner agencies and our programs.
We also believe advocating for long-term solutions supporting food security and American agriculture is crucial. We are part of conversations at the local, state, and national levels to urge lawmakers on both sides to explore solutions in the upcoming farm bill to protect American farmers, strengthen local food systems, and ensure that the taxpayer dollars support U.S. agriculture and rural communities. Food is necessary for all of us to not only thrive, but to survive and food is not, nor should it ever be a political issue.
The St. Louis Area Foodbank has worked hard to serve and support our community since 1975, and we will continue to do so for the next 50 years.
To learn more about the St. Louis Area Foodbank, our advocacy work, our food sourcing work, or our philanthropy work – and to join us in continuing to serve and support our community for the next 50 years, please visit: https://stlfoodbank.org
