As businesses start to feel the effects of new tariffs, trips to the grocery store are expected to become more expensive for families.
Federal cuts are putting pressure on food banks to help more people, making it challenging to help those who need it most.
“First of all, jobs are in jeopardy. Locally produced crops are in jeopardy. And then help to those who need it is in jeopardy. There’s no winner,” said Food Program Director of Focus Hope Frank Kubik.
Kubik has been with Focus: Hope since 1981. The non-profit operates a supplemental food program for seniors that helps 43,000 people annually.
He says potential cuts to federal funding could impact other food banks across Metro Detroit.
“We’re talking about keeping folks healthy,” Kubik said. “We’re talking about good nutrition; well, you can’t eat what you don’t have, and so if those items aren’t available, or if they’re cut, what do you do?”
In Michigan, the local food purchase assistance program helps minority farmers get fresh food to underserved communities.
The program costs about $10 million a year.
“The funding for that program is really in jeopardy, and if that goes, those are purchases that help the farmers that typically don’t get the help they would need and then gets the food in areas that typically wouldn’t get that kind of food, fresh produce, fruit, vegetables, fish, has a big impact,” Kubik said.
Focus: Hope is one of the lucky ones. The non-profit secured additional federal funding for the next fiscal year.
However, they can only help those over the age of 60, and they are worried about those who rely solely on food banks for survival.
“When we look at what’s happening in Washington with all the infighting and all the divisive things going on, we want to make sure that they understand that these programs help people and the smallest cuts impact people,” Kubik said.
The local food assistance program is set to end on Sept. 30.
