TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) — Arkansas’ Harvest Regional Food Bank is one of many that have had shipments of food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled. Though the shipments total about 30% of the food bank’s total supply, officials in Texarkana stress they are still currently meeting the hunger needs of the community.
“We just want to, you know, really assure the public we’re still here to fill the need. We have a strong community base, community support. So you know, we’ll just be purchasing more food in the meantime,” said Harvest Regional Food Bank’s executive director, Camille Wrinkle.
She said the food bank is looking at new funding sources to supplement resources.
“We may have to, kind of, use some grant funding to be allocated towards direct food distribution right now, but we’ve done that in the past with COVID,” said Wrinkle.
Though there is some uncertainty about the future, the hope is that the shipments will resume soon.
“I’m hopeful and optimistic that these will not be permanent cancellations, that these are on hold temporarily,” said Wrinkle. “We’re really trying to take things day by day, cross those bridges when we get there.”
Wrinkle said food banks are used to having to be flexible.
“Whether it’s a natural disaster, or whether supply chain issues result in delays, or whether we have USDA cuts like we’re having right now,” said Wrinkle.
The East Texas Regional Food Bank in Tyler, Texas, is also feeling the effects of cuts, saying canceled deliveries have cost it 360,000 pounds of food.
“In the short term, the ETFB will have to purchase additional food to make up for the losses of federal funding and food, so we can still feed our hungry neighbors. We are hopeful that these cuts will be short-lived and restored in the future,” said East Texas Food Bank CEO David Emerson, “In the interim, we will rely on the generosity of East Texans to help us weather this storm.”