In February, Ken Estelle learned that the federal government was cancelling millions of dollars in aid for Michigan food banks. Estelle is the president and chief executive officer of Feeding America West Michigan. His organization was told that 32 truckloads of food they had expected to receive this year from The Emergency Food Assistance Program, often known by the acronym TEFAP, would be put on hold.
Last week, it was confirmed that the trucks weren’t coming.
“The best we could surmise — again, I just don't have a lot of information — is that they chose to not fulfill those load commitments for a reason that we still don't really understand or know,” Estelle said.
According to Estelle, the most challenging part is having very little information about what’s happening.
“Even until today, we really don't have a whole lot of insight into why they did it, what happened, where did the food go, if anywhere,” Estelle said.
About 38% of Feeding America West Michigan’s food product comes from the emergency food program, according to Estelle. There are various different programs that make up the USDA's food support for local communities. Some of that assistance is still intact. However, the 32 trucks Estelle's group had expected were paid for through a federal fund called the Commodity Credit Corporation. That money, Estelle said, is discretionary and seems to have been redirected.
Another source of federal support, the Local Food Purchasing Agreement, is set to be terminated on September 30.
According to Estelle, the food bank will be able to fill some of the gaps left by the termination of these programs. It remains committed to making sure that the food banks they distribute to have enough food for families, although the products will likely be different than what was promised through the USDA donations.
Listen to our full conversation with Ken Estelle on the Stateside podcast above.
