Yamhill Community Action Partnership see drastic decrease in food and funding, which in turn is adversely affecting programs in Newberg and McMinnville

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, per directives from newly-elected President Donald Trump to curb what he characterized as government waste, in March halted the delivery of more than $500 million of food to food banks across the country.

In Oregon, the cutbacks were manifested most visibly in the loss of an anticipated 4 million pounds of food destined for the Oregon Food Bank at a time of rising demand at the hundreds of locations the nonprofit serves across the state.

At a granular level the order impacted local agencies such as Yamhill Community Action Partnership, which has seen a dramatic decrease in the food available to distribute to eight outlets in the county, including five in Newberg and three in McMinnville.

On a monthly basis YCAP provides meals to 20,000 low-income households, children and seniors, Deputy Director Amber Hansen-Moore said in an email. YCAP was notified in the spring that nearly $6 million in emergency food previously expected from April through July was not coming.

“YCAP and our Yamhill County neighbors have already begun to feel the impacts of federal food program cuts,” Hansen-Moore said in June. “We expected approximately 40,000 pounds of food from the Oregon Food Bank on May 16, but we received just 14,000 pounds in that Friday’s delivery.

“Fresh milk deliveries for May, June and July are canceled. Two truckloads of cheese, one in May and the other in June, have also been canceled. Deliveries of frozen meat — pork, chicken and turkey — have either been canceled or cut dramatically.”

The cutbacks come at a time when the Oregon Food Bank, YCAP’s primary supplier for food, has seen a dramatic uptick of 31% in visits to food assistance sites since 2024, when 2.5 million individuals sought aid from the agency.

Due to the cuts, YCAP must transition from receiving 40,000 pounds to as much as 20,000 per week from the Oregon Food Bank, including the large donations of nonperishable items from major corporate food manufacturers, USDA commodities and food purchased by the food bank utilizing state funding from the Oregon Hunger Response Fund.

“Unfortunately, YCAP is now receiving 20,000 pounds or less per week from the Oregon Food Bank,” Hansen-Moore said. “Since the Oregon Hunger Response Fund was not funded for the 2025-2027 biennium and the situation at the federal level will likely not improve, these reductions in food are expected to worsen over the next two years.”

Less assistance will be available in the future

Most of the USDA cuts to food and funding reaching Oregon are permanent, unless reversed by the next administration.

“We have been informed that some of the food deliveries that we would normally have received through the Oregon Food Bank as a result of USDA purchases will not be available,” Hansen-Moore said. “The most recent cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is a federal program that provides low-income individuals with free emergency food assistance, has resulted in a loss of 90 truckloads of food to Oregon. Oregon Food Bank has told us not to expect a return to traditional levels of USDA food support.”

The reduction of 20,000 pounds of food per week will result in the loss of 850,000 meals for children, seniors and low-income individuals this year. YCAP is working to secure additional funds and food support for its partner food pantries, meal sites and Harvest2Home mobile pantry locations.

Recognizing the decrease in future federal aid, agencies must adjust to the reality that food deliveries from the Oregon Food Bank will return to 2016 levels, despite the fact that the demand has increased 33% in the past nine years.

“While it is our hope that the federal government will re-establish these critical food resources, YCAP is working with our state and local partners to meet the need for high-quality food,” Hansen-Moore said.

Timing of cuts couldn’t be worse

The increased need for food assistance in communities comes at a time when the federal government has cut more than $1 billion from programs that supply food banks and school lunch programs nationwide.

Included is $186 billion in funding cuts over the next decade in the popular Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, a USDA function that helped more than 700,000 Oregonians buy groceries in 2024. The program was signed into law in the mid-1960s by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his War on Poverty initiative.

Can YCAP access food from other sources?

Hansen-Moore said in the past YCAP has gathered food donations from local farmers, grocery stores, corporations, foundations and other organizations.

An example she pointed to EMPWR Nutrition, which regularly donates thousands of protein bars; Newberg’s own A-dec Inc., whose employees raised $58,827 last year to purchase additional food and have committed to do so again this year; and an undisclosed private foundation that has committed to making a three-year grant of $60,000 per year to help purchase food.

“Unfortunately, even with these incredibly generous donations and those from regular YCAP Food Bank donors, the gap will be significant,” Hasen-Moore said.

Aid from the public welcome

Hansen-Moore said that the public has responded with offers of donations and help since a column she wrote appeared in the Newberg Graphic. Those who would like to join in the effort may visit yamhillcap.org, click on the donate button and designate that the donation go toward the YCAP Food Bank.

Those needing food assistance in Newberg can receive it at Monday Meals, which is open 5:30-6:30 p.m. each Monday at Zion Lutheran Church, 301 S. River St.; Simple Supper, which is open 5-6 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays at Wayside Friends Church, 1716 Villa Road; River Street Church, 715 S. River St., 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays; Newberg Community Kitchen at Northwest Christian Church, 2315 Villa Road, 4:30-5:45 p.m. Thursdays; and at Dinner at St. Peter’s Parish, 2315 N. Main St., 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fridays.