Our Statement on USDA Elimination of Vital Hunger Data

Our friends at Cisco are meeting the hunger crisis head-on during the government shutdown and beyond. 

The latest example: Oour Raleigh Branch recently welcomed 150+ Cisco volunteers to assemble weekend take-home meal kits for children in the Sandhills region who receive free and reduced-cost lunch at school. Cisco’s support for our Backpack Pals program ensures that thousands more kids and teens in our area will have the fuel they need to stay alert and focused in school. We're grateful for this combined effort to provide more than 85,000 meals for local families! 

Our partnership is needed more than ever as 1.4 million kids, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities across North Carolina experienced signficant disruption to their grocery budgets. 

Partners like Cisco show up for our communities and make food access possible — and play an increasingly important role in local hunger relief efforts as the federal governbment continues to step away from longtime safety nets.

Politicians in Washington voted to slash the federal safety nets that help millions of people in North Carolina afford food and medicine. They know their decisions will worsen our hunger crisis, and now they're attempting to hide the evidence by eliminating impact data that has been available to the public for decades.

Administrative changes at the USDA can't erase the reality our communities face every day: the price of groceries remains out of reach for far too many families — and more people are seeking food assistance today than any point in the past 20 years.

Our hunger relief network relies on this data to target resources where they're needed most, especially in rural communities where services are more difficult to access. The General Assembly and state agencies need reliable data to make smart investments in the most effective programs. This information takes even greater importance when tight budgets require tough decisions — and there are no shortage of difficult fiscal discussions underway right now.

We need our Members of Congress to understand the impact this irresponsible decision will have on  kids, seniors, and people with disabilities across North Carolina. It's incredibly important that we all make our voices heard and urge elected leaders to restore vital hunger data.

– Jason Kanawati Stephany, Food Bank Vice President

During the volunteer takeover, Cisco employees demonstrated their hands-on commitment to ending hunger. 

Engineers made improvements to the assembly line to fill bags faster. Mike Estes, Core Services Specialist, even used a pallet jack to move hundreds of meal kits so more could be filled. 

Through the team's dedication, one large Cisco volunteer shift fueled more meals than a week of shifts with smaller groups. That's why we call these shifts "Volunteer Takeovers"! 

With subsidies being cut, it’s more important than ever to volunteer at the Food Bank. We can reduce overhead costs so the Food Bank can serve more people in our community. I used to run a warehouse 30 years ago, so it’s kind of like riding a bike. It’s second nature to use my skills to help others.

– Mike Estes (pictured center), Cisco Core Services Specialist

By expanding our capacity with food access and technology, Cisco empowers us to meet the needs of this moment.

Cisco is a key partner in the local fight to end hunger, contributing more than $4.8 million to our hunger relief efforts through corporate and employee giving. By expanding our capacity with food access and technology, Cisco empowers the Food Bank to serve our neighbors during the greatest hunger crisis in a generation. We are truly grateful to Cisco for helping us meet the needs of the moment. 

Politicians in Washington voted to slash the federal safety nets that help millions of people in North Carolina afford food and medicine. They know their decisions will worsen our hunger crisis, and now they're attempting to hide the evidence by eliminating impact data that has been available to the public for decades.

Administrative changes at the USDA can't erase the reality our communities face every day: the price of groceries remains out of reach for far too many families — and more people are seeking food assistance today than any point in the past 20 years.

Our hunger relief network relies on this data to target resources where they're needed most, especially in rural communities where services are more difficult to access. The General Assembly and state agencies need reliable data to make smart investments in the most effective programs. This information takes even greater importance when tight budgets require tough decisions — and there are no shortage of difficult fiscal discussions underway right now.

We need our Members of Congress to understand the impact this irresponsible decision will have on  kids, seniors, and people with disabilities across North Carolina. It's incredibly important that we all make our voices heard and urge elected leaders to restore vital hunger data.

– Jason Kanawati Stephany, Food Bank Vice President