Guest commentary: Federal cuts heighten hunger in Southwest Florida
Hunger is already a serious problem in Southwest Florida — where one in eight people are food insecure, including one in six children.
It’s about to become worse.
Cuts in federal funding are beginning to have substantial impacts on our neighbors, especially vulnerable ones like caregivers, older residents, homeless individuals and veterans, as well as the many families and children who rely on our support to put food on the table each day.
The Harry Chapin Food Bank (HCFB), which serves 250,000 neighbors monthly across the five-county region, has been closely monitoring the potential impacts of funding cuts on hunger in Southwest Florida. The numbers are clear — 33 million meals could disappear from Southwest Florida. That’s 40,000 of our most vulnerable neighbors who will no longer receive assistance through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. They’ll now rely on the Harry Chapin Food Bank for help.
Additionally, funding reductions in the Emergency Food Assistance Program will put less fresh produce and non-perishable items on the shelves of local food pantries. The elimination of Local Food Purchasing Assistance funds, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program in place since 2021, also means food banks now lack the financial resources to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local growers.
No child, woman, man, senior or veteran should have to go hungry, especially in a community like ours. Funding cuts are painful and often affect those who rely on that support to make ends meet. In 2024, we delivered 39.5 million pounds of food. With the continued growth of our community and the impact of these cuts, we will need to distribute 50 million pounds of food annually by 2030, according to a major research institute.
Yet we cannot sit idle and let our neighbors go hungry.
After hurricanes, we all pitched in to help clear debris from our neighbors’ yards. After the pandemic, we checked on our neighbors to make sure they were OK while staying indoors. Now is one of those times when we must step up again.
HCFB is ready and able to help. Through our Feeding Network of more than 175 agency partners, which includes 45 school pantries, we can get food into the communities and into the homes of those who need it. As a nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of donors who share our mission of leading the community in its fight to end hunger. And we are very proud that 96 cents of every dollar donated to HCFB goes to making food accessible.
The next few months are critical. We do not ever want to tell someone who is hungry we have no food and to come back next week or next month. The Harry Chapin Food Bank is forecasting as much as a 90% increase in demand for food. We will rise to meet the demand but need your help.
This is a generous and compassionate community, and our partners and supporters can help ensure none of our neighbors has to endure hunger despite funding challenges. Visit HarryChapinFoodBank.org to make a donation.
Richard LeBer is president and chief executive officer of the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. It is Southwest Florida’s largest hunger-relief nonprofit and the region’s only Feeding America member. For more information, visit HarryChapinFoodBank.org.