When federal systems fail, communities must lead.

We are facing an unprecedented crisis in food security in our country. One in ten Americans, including more than 40% of children in some counties, struggles with food insecurity. The Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 proposed the largest SNAP benefit cut in history, reducing monthly support by nearly 30% nationwide. At the same time, food prices remain nearly 20% higher than before the pandemic, and now, with the federal shutdown leading to a pause in SNAP benefits for over 42 million Americans, beginning November 1st, the safety net is under historic and severe strain.
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For families already juggling rent, medicine, and rising grocery costs, the prospect of losing SNAP entirely is devastating. The emergency food network, though essential to millions, was never built to carry a burden of this scale. SNAP provides roughly nine times more food than the entire food bank system combined. This is a sobering reminder that community providers cannot, and should not, be expected to fill the void left by federal inaction.
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This moment demands more than temporary relief. It calls for a systemic shift in how we fund, coordinate, and sustain food access — one rooted in collaboration, dignity, and community-designed solutions.

How Food Connect Is Responding:

At Food Connect, our mission is to bridge gaps in our food system to combat food insecurity, improve health outcomes, and eliminate food waste by connecting food with communities in need and enabling last-mile delivery of fresh, nutritious meals.
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As the shutdown looms, our work is focused on ensuring that those most at risk, especially individuals who cannot reach traditional food distribution sites, continue to have reliable access to food and care.

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Our approach includes:

• Home Delivery: Many of the people we serve — seniors, individuals with disabilities, families without vehicles, or those working multiple jobs — cannot transport themselves to food banks even in the best of times. Our home delivery model brings food directly to their doors, closing access gaps that traditional systems overlook. 
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• Community-Driven Employment: We employ drivers and logistics staff from the very neighborhoods we serve, ensuring that our operations not only deliver food but also create living-wage jobs and pathways for economic mobility.
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• Partnering for Holistic Care: Through partnerships with community-based organizations, institutions and municipalities, we align food delivery with other critical supports — from health referrals to resource navigation — ensuring that each meal is part of a wraparound care network.
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• Turning Surplus into Sustainability: By intercepting fresh surplus food before it goes to waste, we promote zero-waste and circular economies that strengthen both community health and environmental resilience.
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• Shifting from Relief to Resilience: Our model is built to move the hunger-relief sector from reactive to proactive — empowering communities to co-design their own food pathways, share feedback, and build long-term food autonomy.

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This moment reinforces what we know: lasting food security depends on more than emergency relief alone. It requires investing in the local infrastructure, data, and partnerships that help communities build resilient, equitable food systems that continue to function even when government systems falter.
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In this unprecedented time, Food Connect is working closely with trusted partners to adapt and expand our services wherever possible. Learn more about what’s happening in the communities we serve and consider taking action to address the emergency needs in your community.

How You Can Help:

• Donate: Support our emergency operations and long-term efforts to build resilient local food systems. Every dollar helps sustain deliveries and strengthen the community infrastructure.
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• Advocate: Share how the shutdown is affecting your community with your federal and state representatives, and urge action to protect food access while investing in local, collaborative solutions.
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• Stay Informed: Follow Food Connect and other local food system partners for updates on how your community is responding to this emergency need. Share information to support your neighbors and strengthen local networks.
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The federal shutdown is creating a preventable strain on families who rely on SNAP and other vital food access resources. While national systems stall, Food Connect and our partners continue bridging the gap between food and the people who need it most.

This crisis can be a turning point, shifting from fragility to resilience, scarcity to shared abundance, and top-down decisions to community-driven solutions.

Together, we can transform this moment into a pivot toward equity, autonomy, and a future where every meal nourishes not just a person, but a sustainable food system.

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