photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Just Food's home at 1000 E. 11th St. is pictured Friday, March 24, 2023.

Leaders at Just Food appreciate the Douglas County community for stepping up and providing more than $20,000 in donations after the food pantry announced that it would receive around 30% less food from a federal program.

Earlier in April as the Journal-World reported, the pantry said in a news release that due to federal cuts, it would receive 30% less food through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, a federal nutrition program designed to help low-income households supplement their food sources through food banks and pantries. The expected cuts were estimated to be a loss of around 2,400 pounds of food a month from April until August.

Maggie Bashore, Just Food’s communications and creative manager, told the Journal-World that since that announcement the pantry has received over $20,000 in donations as a direct response.

“It’s been incredible to see the community rally around us like that,” Bashore said, especially considering the economic uncertainty many are facing.

Bashore said TEFAP was important to the pantry because it’s one of the few food sources — outside of in-kind donations — the pantry receives at no cost. Cuts from the TEFAP program limit the food selection available for its shoppers.

The pantry confirmed in an email that it received 2,537 fewer pounds of food this past month, but Bashore said having the extra cash can be significant to helping the pantry. Bashore said through the pantry’s existing partnerships with food distribution places, the pantry can get more bang for its buck.

Additionally, the direct cash donations allows the pantry “to purchase what we know we need,” Bashore said. In this case, since TEFAP food provided things like meat, milk and eggs, the pantry can purchase those expensive items which are not commonly donated otherwise.

Although Just Food has appreciated the recent support, Bashore said the existing uncertainty regarding many federal programs makes her believe it’s not the end of cuts. Other federal programs that helped food banks like the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which gave food banks federal money to buy food from local farmers, have been slashed.

Meanwhile, Bashore said the economy is getting tougher for everybody, which ends up leading to higher demand. The economic uncertainty means Just Food’s lines “are longer no matter what,” Bashore said, and there would be higher demand alongside the federal cuts.

That means despite the positive support from recent donors, Bashore said Just Food will still be asking for whatever support people can provide to help feed families in Douglas County.

“We’ll continue to need community support throughout this,” Bashore said. “Anything is helpful.”

The pantry advised people interested in providing support to donate funds or nonperishable food items to the pantry or contact their elected officials to advocate for strong federal nutrition programs.