Our Statement on USDA Elimination of Vital Hunger Data

We are excited to welcome Ann Edmondson as Executive Director of Feeding the Carolinas. Her experience working with both grocers and growers in North and South Carolina will benefit our Food Banks tremendously.

Ann brings more than two decades of leadership experience in membership associations in the Carolinas, as well as considerable expertise in communications and government relations.

With Ann’s leadership, Feeding the Carolinas seeks to deepen its impact—strengthening partnerships, advancing advocacy efforts, and supporting member Food Banks in their efforts to expand access to nutritious food across our communities, and create lasting solutions to address hunger.

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

We also extend our gratitude to the outgoing Interim Executive Director, Fawn Pattison, a friend of the Food Bank, who made countless contributions to advance our hunger relief efforts.  

Feeding the Carolinas is a dual-state association of the ten Feeding America-affiliated Food Banks in North and South Carolina. Feeding the Carolinas’ member Food Banks are working to end hunger in the Carolinas. They support more than 3,700 local charitable agencies, which serve the 2.3 million Carolinians across 146 counties facing hunger annually.

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