The amount of food delivered to Manna soup kitchen by its primary provider was cut in half over the past two months.
The Durango soup kitchen serves around 3,500 meals a month, and its free-choice food market provides groceries to around 1,700 to 2,500 community members a month.
But federal funding reductions have strained food aid programs’ ability to operate at typical levels and resulted in an unstable food supply chain. As Manna staff members anticipate further funding cuts and continued fluctuations, they hope to shift away from reliance on grants and focus more on grassroots support from the local community.
Care and Share, a food bank that supplies 60% of Manna’s food each month, typically delivers about 12,000 pounds to 14,000 pounds of food every two weeks.
In June and July, the bank only sent 6,000 pounds to 7,000 pounds, said Shawn Haught, Manna’s kitchen manager.
The kitchen was able to serve patrons at the same frequency and amount during the summer, he said, and there has been enough food for everyone. The largest impact has been on the free-choice food market, where shelves are roomier than usual and fresh food offerings have decreased.
On Tuesday, 14,000 pounds were delivered, but Haught said it’s unlikely to remain consistent as funding cuts and uncertainty persist.
Still, he is confident in the nonprofit’s ability to continue operating at full capacity.
“We’re just going to have to ride these waves,” Haught said.
The reduced supply is largely because of USDA program cuts made under President Donald Trump’s administration earlier in the year, said Marissa Hunt, Manna’s co-executive director of finance and engagement.
As a result of those cuts, Hunt said the availability of locally produced, fresh, nutrient-dense food has declined.
Many of the grants clawed back by the federal government were designed to support local farmers by purchasing their products for distribution to community nonprofits, an “all-around benefit,” Hunt said.
“The absence of those programs – it’s tough,” she said.
Providing nutrient-dense, whole foods leads to better health outcomes and reduces stigma for the diverse group of community members Manna serves, while also bolstering small agricultural businesses in the region, she said.
And the cuts may not stop there. More reductions, including ones targeting the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, are expected.
“The forecast right now is looking like increased need and fewer available resources,” Hunt said.
Manna receives anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds a month from emergency food programs and other federally funded sources, she said.
“If programs like that are cut back, there will be significant impact on direct-service food access programs,” Hunt said.
To prepare for that possibility, Manna is working to return to a more grassroots approach.
As grants continue to dry up, placing more reliance directly on the local community for support seems to be the most reliable option the staff said.
Haught and Hunt pointed to more food drives, fundraisers and more partnerships with local businesses.
“People should care about making sure that Manna has these resources because it uplifts the rest of the community,” Hunt said. “When people who have the most acute needs in our community have the resources to meet their needs, we all do better.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
