#underservedschools — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

#FoodAid groups bought from #LocalFarmers with #USDA grants. Abrupt cuts leave both struggling.

By Meg Oliver, June 30, 2025

"Four days a week, Maile Auterson and one of her employees drive hundreds of miles across Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas to deliver fresh produce to #FoodDeserts.

"Auterson's nonprofit, Springfield #CommunityGardens, helps #UnderservedSchools, #FoodPantries and senior centers. One center in Ava, #Missouri, is the only place for many where they can get a hot meal.

"Springfield Community Gardens is one of many organizations that relied on grants from the United States Department of Agriculture to distribute produce to schools and low-income communities through two pandemic-era federal programs. They provided about $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms, ranchers and producers.

"But in March, the USDA abruptly canceled the programs, calling the decision a 'return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives.'

"Now, Auterson says, 'some of the most vulnerable people' are without adequate access to food, including children and #SeniorCitizens."

#USDACuts #USPol #FundingCuts #FoodInsecurity #TrumpSucks #LocalFarms #FoodPantries #HungerGames #SchoolLunches #KillThePoor #TaxBreaksForTheRich