TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Food from the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona feeds thousands of people across five counties but there’s a lot of suspense about what changes on the Federal level could mean for the food the place puts on so many plates.
To keep people fed, food banks depend on the generosity of the public, the food stores, and the Federal Government.
But with aggressive cuts at the Federal level, Christian Abreu says the people he helps are getting nervous about what the Food Bank will be able to keep serving up.
“It just doesn't feel good not having an answer for somebody, not reassuring them, yes, we're going to be here with you. Or we have this, because a lot of agencies are being affected around and some resources we were given to people are not there anymore.”
At the Community Food Bank they are careful to say they will still have food to share with people who need it; but they’re keeping a close eye on budget battles in Congress. They could affect the types of food, and how much food, Federal programs will provide.
Interim CEO Sio Castillo says they often know months in advance what to expect from the Feds and they’ve already seen them cancel a few loads of pasta. They especially want to keep strong supplies of things like peanut butter and nuts because they are protein that does not spoil easily.
“We will continue to serve. How much food when it comes may be different. The amounts we may give out will be different. It's going to be but we will always have shelf stable. You'll always have beans coming in. We'll always probably have some kind of peanut butter. We definitely will have some kind of pasta. All of that.”
No one is suggesting the Federal Government will stop supporting food banks altogether. Food banks do have the ability to buy food to go with donations from grocery chains and help from people across Southern Arizona.
People can donate to the food bank, or get help receiving food by following this link: Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
