By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer 

At a moment when local community members are struggling with food insecurity, the recent cancellation of a $250,000 food order from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) now leaves the agency and other local food distribution organizations to their own devices. 

On April 1, it was announced that the USDA would be cancelling the food order that includes pork chops, cheese, chicken breasts, eggs and other items from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for the first quarter of 2025. If the cancellations continue through the next year, the CCFB could face over $1 million in lost food items. For an organization that distributes five million pounds of food to over 40,000 Chester County residents per year, this loss in TEFAP food would have a large impact on the agency and the community it serves. 

“The cancellation of these orders are going to have a significant impact on our operations, and they couldn’t come at a worse time,” said Andrea Youndt, CCFB CEO in an April 2 press release. “We are currently experiencing a cost-of-living crisis in Chester County and Southeastern Pennsylvania. We need more support now, not less.” 

In addition to the cut in TEFAP funding, the USDA also cancelled $145,000 in Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) funds which are used to buy food from local growers here in Chester County. Nick Imbesi, director of community relations at CCFB, clarified that the agency has already spent those funds for this fiscal year, but moving forward will no longer have that funding. 

In its press release, CCFB stated, “Without these funds, not only would we be shorter in supply of much-needed food for food insecure families in Chester County, but our local growers would also lose support. To help shoulder this weight, however, the Chester County Food Bank will continue to partner with local growers with our own dollars.” 

The loss of LFPA and TEFAP funds are part of a trend of funding cuts at the USDA under the Trump administration that total $1 billion. As to where and who the cuts are coming from, Imbesi clarified that they were a USDA decision, and that the department can utilize the funds how they see fit. 

“We want to be very upfront and honest and transparent that while this is going to create a challenge for the food bank, it is within the USDA’s full authority to withdraw those funds,” said Imbesi. “It’s not authorized funds by Congress that they must purchase food with those funds.” 

Imbesi shared that 39 percent of the five million pounds CCFB distributed in the last fiscal year was government supplied food from programs such as TEFAP. Despite now losing a large part of that percentage, Imbesi is adamant that there will be no changes to the food CCFB can provide to their community partners. 

“No community partner of ours in Chester County is going to see any service disruption at all,” he said. “We are going to be purchasing this food now, and we are going to be distributing this food to our community partners.” 

Kennett Area Community Services (KACS) shared in a April 24 website post that they receive more than 30,000 pounds of food every month from CCFB and thanked the Food Bank for their continued commitment despite the adversity of funding cuts. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the unwavering support of the Chester County Food Bank,” said Leah Reynolds, KACS chief executive officer. “Their leadership, innovation, and deep commitment to community well-being give us hope and confidence, no matter what challenges come our way.” 

Similarly, Melissa Pacella, the executive director of SILO in Oxford, stated in an April 4 interview that although she feels government funding moving forward is uncertain, she is confident in the team at CCFB to meet the needs of local communities. Pacella shared that SILO receives about 80-90 percent of their food from CCFB. 

“It puts our organization in a challenging position that we want to be sure we’re able to address the needs and we’re going to need more support from the community to be able to do that fully,” Pacella said. 

According to Imbesi, community support for both monetary and food donations has increased at the food bank. KACS additionally called on the community to increase donations in their April 4 press release and have received increased support as well, according to their website. 

Although CCFB, KACS and SILO all recognize the challenge they are facing and the potentially devastating consequences, the care and loyalty to the community amongst all the organizations seems unfaltering. For the CCFB, Imbesi was clear on their commitment. 

“We are more dedicated than ever,” Imbesi said. “We are even more committed now to continue serving our neighbors in Chester County facing food insecurity. No matter what, we’re going to be here.” 

To learn more about the Chester County Food Bank, visit www.chestercountyfoodbank.org 

To contact Contributing Writer Gabbie Burton, email [email protected].