By Cheyna Kiakona
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo by Chris Light via Wikimedia Commons
Food banks across Washington state are grappling with deep federal funding cuts just as demand for food assistance reaches alarming new heights.
The state is poised to lose nearly $25 million in federal support this year alone. That includes an $11.8 million reduction to the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, which allows food banks to buy locally grown produce. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) will be slashed by $10.5 million, limiting access to pantry staples, such as canned and frozen foods. Another $3.6 million cut will hit the Local Food for Schools (LFS) program created to help schools provide meals to students from low-income families.
“These programs support American farmers… and it is not just farmers getting hit,” said Sen. Patty Murray. “We’re talking about food banks that serve seniors, parents, and people struggling to make ends meet. Schools rely on these programs to help feed their students, so all our kids are able to focus on their classes—not on a grumbling stomach.”
The LFPA and TEFAP cuts represent a $1.9 million blow for Food Lifeline, a nonprofit serving 1.7 million people in 17 Western Washington counties. Those funds had supported the distribution of roughly 7 million pounds of food through its network of pantry partners. Now, the organization must scramble to find new funding sources to maintain its food distribution levels.
The impact extends to the Skagit Food Distribution Center (SFDC), which partially relies on bulk deliveries from Food Lifeline to serve food banks across Skagit, San Juan, Snohomish, and Island counties. LFPA dollars also allowed SFDC to purchase fresh food directly from local farms and businesses.
“In the beginning of the year, we were under the impression there would be another round of these funds starting in July of 2025,” explained Madeline McGonagle, SFDC’s food access manager. “While we still have funds to carry our purchasing through June, we will have no purchasing dollars come July.”
“Skagit has a strong and diverse agricultural community and the LFPA has lifted that community while also lifting members of the community who are experiencing food insecurity,” McGonagle added. “The loss of this program will certainly have profound negative impacts in our community.”
The timing could not be worse. According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, food pantries logged 13.4 million visits in 2024—a staggering 70% increase since 2021. A recent joint study by the University of Washington and Washington State University found that more than half of Washington households now experience some level of food insecurity. That number rises to over 70% for households with children.
“Food insecurity is on a steady and aggressive incline. It is moving up into the middle class,” noted Cal Coblentz, CEO of Partners Inland Northwest, the largest food pantry in Spokane County. “More working families are food insecure than I’ve seen in the past decade. The emergency food system for Eastern Washington needs more food. Any reduction in food sourcing compounds the growing problem of food insecurity.”
The LFS cuts strain food banks even more, as the program previously contributed to school meals for over 800,000 students in 160 school districts statewide. According to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, at least 23 districts, unable to fill the funding gap, have already opted out of the program for the next school year.
“Because students on free and reduced meals receive two meals a day, this could create the need for as many as a million additional meals per year,” explained Food Lifeline’s Chief Development Officer Ryan Scott. “Most of these families will look for food banks to fill that gap, putting tremendous pressure on us and our food bank partners.”
Even smaller, independent pantries unaffiliated with Food Lifeline are feeling the squeeze. The Shoreline Little Pantry, a pop-up pantry near Cressy Door and Fireplace in Shoreline, sources food donations from grocery stores like Fred Meyer and QFC to reduce waste. It also collaborates with nearby pantries, such as Annie’s Community Kitchen in Edmonds and Fallen Brothers Food Resource in Lynnwood and Shoreline.
Kristi Khiudin, a volunteer at Shoreline Little Pantry, noted that they typically serve a small community of about 30 individuals but have seen a recent spike in visitors.
“Some people do mention that they don’t get enough food from us and they would have to grab food from other local food banks as well,” said Khiudin. “And sometimes we have to chat with other locations. So we would tend to help each other out by asking, ‘Hey, if you see any of these specific items, can you consider grabbing one for me?'”
“Nowadays, we have to take care of each other, especially people who are not even eligible to get help or assistance through the government,” Khiudin added. “The community is what’s left to help us survive. But, you know, hopefully our supplies can still sustain and be able to help everyone that needs it.”
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