24 Apr Trump Cuts Are Hitting Food Recovery Groups Particularly Hard

Eve Birge, White Pony Express CEO, in the WPE lobby before the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new WPE headquarters at 2470 Bates Ave. in Concord on Aug. 23, 2024. WPE delivers surplus food to organizations serving those in need. (Ray Saint Germain / Bay City News)

By Tony Hicks
Bay City News

The Washington D.C. budget slashing is hitting hungry people 3,000 miles away particularly hard.

That also goes for those who feed them.

Food recovery groups in Contra Costa County say they feel squeezed by massive cuts to funding sources like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Community Project Funding grants, the Cal Food program, SNAP/CalFresh, and others.

Concord-based food recovery group White Pony Express said it’s losing about a third of its budget due to the Trump administration’s cuts.

Company CEO Eve Birge said she figured cuts were coming but was still surprised at their size.

“I didn’t anticipate it would be this dire for our communities,” said Birge, whose organization provides fresh, healthy food deliveries to more than 100 nonprofits serving some of the area’s most vulnerable residents.

Caitlyn Sly, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, said her organization has already had 11 food shipments through the Emergency Food Assistance Program put on hold.

“That is over 250,000 meals that would have otherwise gone to the 65,000 households we serve on average each month,” Sly said. “TEFAP has been a critical resource in meeting the rising demand for food assistance, especially for fresh protein, one of the most expensive and in-demand food groups.”

“If these shortages continue, it will put additional pressure on food banks like ours to fill the gap, at a time when resources are already stretched thin,” Sly said.

Cuts also affect state programs buying food produced in California. Sly said CalFood, which allocates state money to supply California-produced food to food banks, faces $54 million in cuts, dropping its budget from $62 million to just $8 million.

“This is a staggering 87% reduction, and such a drastic cut would severely limit food banks’ ability to purchase locally sourced products,” Sly said. “This would impact not only families who rely on food assistance but also California farmers and producers, who benefit from a program that supports local agriculture while fighting food insecurity.”

Sly said the $1.9 million in USDA grants the food bank received last year have been cancelled for 2025.

“According to our newly released 2024 impact report, about 28% of our funding, which is a little over $8 million, comes from government grants,” Sly said. “We are still assessing the full impact of federal and state funding cuts. Still, we know these reductions could significantly affect our ability to purchase fresh, healthy food for the community.”

White Pony Express is responding to the cuts by launching its Nourish to Flourish Spring Fundraiser, which runs through May 31. WPE calls on individuals, businesses, and philanthropic partners to help.

WPE gets federal money from sources like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Community Project Funding grants.

With the Trump administration cutting or freezing funding across the board, the organization must raise $350,000 by May 31 to support ongoing services and fresh food distribution.

“We’ve stayed very trim over the years, but we also just moved into a bigger facility,” Birge said, about WPE’s 2024 move from Pleasant Hill to the Garaventa Business Park, north of state Highway 4, in Concord.

The move was necessitated by the community’s growing needs. And the gap between what it needs and what it gets is growing.

Birge said she suspects anti-immigrant sentiment is affecting whether some people apply for benefits like CalFresh. WPE said food costs are at a 20-year-high, and continue to rise, potentially making more people unable to properly feed themselves and their families.

“This year our budget needs to grow and it’s not, obviously,” Birge said. “We project a third of it would come from federal funding, so $450,000 is off the table.”

Birge said WPE needs help from donations and also food providers. WPE rescues fresh, surplus food and curates and delivers it to more than 100 nonprofit partners that feed the hungry.

The group said, despite an abundance, only 2% of surplus food in the U.S. is currently donated, which presents a massive opportunity to expand food access. Birge said, nationwide, “if that number hit 40%, we can eliminate hunger.”

Sly said the food bank is depending on the local community to help fill the gap.

“Corporate and community support have always been essential to our mission, and this year, it’s more critical than ever,’ she said. “Monetary donations are essential right now, especially as funding cuts have limited our ability to purchase fresh produce and proteins — some of the most expensive yet most needed items for the families we serve.”

“We also need to make our voices heard,” Sly said. “As a community, we need to unite to speak up about potential funding cuts and how they can impact our neighbors in need.”

Birge sees a potential bright side, as WPE ramps up its visibility and fundraising efforts. Budgets come and go, but the organization’s increased presence in the area will hopefully highlight the need for more restaurants and stores to donate food they’d otherwise throw away. Permanent relationships can be formed.

“We are a volunteer-run model,” Birge said. “We’re built as a neighbor-helping-a-neighbor organization. We’re going to have to really take some responsibility and lean into this (crisis), because people now are stepping away.

“We work seven days a week; I’m working weekends, I’m knocking on doors …”

People can donate to White Pony express at whiteponyexpress.org/donate or to the Food bank of Contra Costa and Solano at www.foodbankccs.org/donate.

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