Food pantries struggle as pandemic relief ebbs

Post-pandemic reductions in federal commodities are contributing to local food pantry struggles.

Why it matters: It's forcing pantry organizers to make difficult choices at a time when access to food assistance through other programs is getting tougher.

Catch up quick: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) helps supplement the diets of low-income people at no cost using USDA commodities that are distributed by food agencies across the U.S.

• The program received hundreds of millions in extra federal assistance dollars during the pandemic.

The big picture: Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization, distributed 5.2 billion meals in the 2022 fiscal year, a spokesperson tells Axios.

• That's down just over 21% from the previous year's 6.6 billion meals, mostly due to a drop in availability of federal commodities.
• But it is ahead of its pre-pandemic distribution levels of 4.2 billion meals in the 2019 fiscal year.

Yes, but: Iowa's food needs are growing due to inflation, the increasingly strict qualification requirements for government assistance and the scaling back of extra pandemic-era programs, Anne Bacon, CEO of DSM-based nonprofit IMPACT, tells Axios.

What's happening: The Food Bank of Iowa, which is part of the Feeding America network, is purchasing more food than ever before for its charities, a spokesperson tells Axios.

• About 30% of its 2023 inventory so far has been purchased, 15% came from TEFAP and the rest was donated.

State of play: The availability of free or low-cost items like eggs through the food bank has been inconsistent in recent months, Althea Holcomb, director of West Des Moines Human Services (WDMHS), tells Axios.

• Plus, the amount of food rescued from restaurants and stores has taken a hit as the economy tightens, so WDMHS’s pantry is now more frequently purchasing things like milk and produce from retailers.

Meanwhile, IMPACT recently applied for a $25,000 private grant to help cover extra costs that its Boone pantry faces because of fewer TEFAP commodities, Bacon says.

• And the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s (DMARC) pantry network has recorded 13 consecutive months of all-time records for first-time visitors, a spokesperson tells Axios.
• DMARC's busiest day in its 47-year history was May 2, with 1,725 food recipients.