Since the majority of the food at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina, comes from nearby producers, it is as fresh as possible.
“We receive local shredded carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, because we feel that we need to support people in our own communities,” Jim Keaten, who runs the nutrition program for Durham Public Schools stated.
According to Keaten, the school district purchases its produce from nearby farmers through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that was discontinued during the Trump administration.
“Immediately, my thoughts were, what are we going to do?” Keaten described his initial reaction upon discovering that the program’s financing had been reduced. “Because these are the funds we use to provide local foods to kids.”
The White House eliminated two government programs in March that give school districts and food banks around the country just over $1 billion in cash annually.
It cut $420 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which supports food banks and other neighborhood organizations, and $660 million from the Local Food for Schools program.
Every state is feeling the effects, including North Carolina, where CBS News tracked the flow of food and money to see how the cuts were affecting the state. Pine Knot Farms in Hurdle Mills, which is roughly an hour’s drive from Riverside High School, is one of the farmers that supplies food to schools.
The farm sold $150,000 worth of food to nearby schools last year, according to co-owner Linda Leach-Hughes. She describes the unexpected financial loss as “devastating.”
“If we do not have this extra income coming in to help local folks in the community, then we will have to lay folks off, we can no longer employ folks,” Leach-Hughes stated.
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The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina also receives produce from Pine Knot Farms. According to Amy Beros, president and CEO of the food bank, the organization has lost almost $2 million in help as a result of the changes.
“I don’t understand,” Beros stated. “We’re facing one of the worst hunger crises in decades, and now we’re going to increase the need even more. The access to this food makes them not have to choose between the life-saving medicine they need and food for that month.”
Those who grow it are very concerned about who gets fed.
“How are you going to make America great again if you’re taking food out of the mouths of babies, senior citizens, nursing homes, rehab centers, hospitals, all of these agencies that are dependent on federal dollars?” Leah-Hughes inquired. “How are you going to make America great again?”
