COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Feeding the Valley Food Bank is experiencing a food shortage it says has been building for the last several years, tracing a lull in its distribution line back to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the food bank’s team said several factors are contributing to the shortage, including a reduction in government funding, changes in administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and lower quantities of food donated by food manufacturers and retail stores.
Steps taken to address the shortage
Chief Operations Officer Steve Watson said the organization has taken three steps to work through the shortage.
“We have reached out to some of our other organizations to gather more food, and in doing that we have added an employee to that to do our food sourcing,” Watson said. “A year ago we started offering wholesale to our feeding agencies. Also we have currently started dipping into our operating expenses to buy food, which is something we’ve never done in the past.”…