LANSING — Northern Michigan food banks say they’re working to keep up with increased demand, which could be worsened by proposed federal spending cuts.
They say that those cuts would further strain their resources, potentially leaving more Michigan families without enough food.
Rachel Cougler is coordinator of the Northwest Food Coalition, which receives funding that could be cut in President Trump’s federal budget bill.
“We work with federal grants that helps provide local foods, and that is on the chopping block, as well as some of the grants and funding that goes for a lot of our pantries and meal sites,” Cougler said.
She says the potential funding cuts would likely add to the demand that her organization has already seen increase.
“We’re seeing, at least from last year alone, that we saw a 40% increase in pantry use and overall 30% increase in emergency food programs within our five county region,” she said. “This year we will be on par to exceed that”
Candice Hamel is director of the Father Fred Foundation, which doesn’t receive federal funds directly. But she says the cuts to other initiatives would create higher demand for the foundation’s work.
“It’ll likely drive people to us that would normally go someplace else for their assistance,” she said.
Hamel says she expects an increase similar to those seen after the expiration of pandemic assistance programs.
“Just yesterday, we had standing room only in our in our lobby, and we haven’t seen that in a long time,” she said. “So I just sort of anticipate that’s what’s going to happen moving forward for a while.”
Kenneth Estelle, CEO of Feeding America West Michigan, told a state Senate committee that he’s seen the need for food assistance rise dramatically over the organization’s 40-county area.
“In the latest 12 month period, ending in April 2025, we served 1,577,081 individuals,” he said. “That’s a 78% increase in the number of times people have come for need since 2021.”
Estelle says that the group, which serves all of the Upper and Northwest Lower Peninsulas, has also seen a reduction of 5-8% in the amount of food received over the past few years.
Plus, Estelle says they have suffered significant losses due to the cancellation of federal funding that had been expected for food assistance.
“Our food purchase spending has increased over 50%, so we’re spending now around $75,000 a week buying food,” he said. “Although we can use some financial reserves for this food purchase, it’s not sustainable for our organization.”
The scope and specifics of the cuts are still being debated in Congress.
But the current proposal includes the elimination of programs like the Commodity Supplemental Food Assistance Program, which received $425 million last year to feed low-income seniors.