Here’s What Federal Food Aid Cuts Mean During Climate Change | Eater

"A local nonprofit food hub that ran a weekly farm-to-donation food-box distribution — recipients typically picked up boxes at a Duffield, Virginia distribution point — supplying surprise boxes that on any given week were "filled with lean meat, half a gallon of milk, and an assortment of seasonal produce." One longtime recipient, a retired mechanic who drives 20 minutes from his home in Big Stone Gap to pick up two boxes, says he gets “fresh produce and stuff that a lot of us can’t afford because of the price of groceries” and that the boxes have been a lifeline after his 2022 shoulder injury; he’s used the variety of ingredients to expand his cooking repertoire, whipping up chicken, broccoli, and rice casseroles, apple dump cobbler, and roasted butternut squash to feed his family of four plus his mother and her husband, and sometimes sharing extra unclaimed boxes with neighbors. The program served roughly 2,000 boxes weekly (it cost them roughly $30,000 to fill the 2,000 or so boxes that, up until March 7, they distributed every week) and supported about 40 farmers while also helping small farmers sell fresh goods to public schools and grocery stores. The program was shuttered after USDA funding the hub relied on was delayed, possibly only partially reimbursed, and then a relied-upon program was terminated; director of development Sylvia Crum described the situation as “heartbreaking” for the thousands of people throughout Central Appalachia they feed and the 40 farmers they work with that will now lose income, adding, “We don’t have the money.” Crum further emphasized the compounding strain on the region: “[This region] has really dealt with so much, with the recent hurricanes and mudslides and tornadoes. And our farmers are hurting, and our people are hurting, and our people are hungry,” she said. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster for everybody.” Recipients describe the food as not just something to eat but as an aid to health and community-building: “Not only is it food that you can put on the table, but it’s good food that you can put in your body,” and “And it’s good food that can build bonds in the community.”" - Ayurella Horn-Muller