Heart of Alabama Food Bank asks Montgomery County for $100,000 after USDA program cuts

Michael Coleman, chief executive officer of the Heart of Alabama Food Bank, asked the Montgomery County Commission in an April meeting to provide $100,000 in one-time support after federal reductions that, he said, sharply cut the nonprofit’s local supply and administrative funding.

Coleman told commissioners the food bank distributed about 4,720,000 pounds of food in Montgomery County in the past 12 months — roughly 4,000,000 meals at Feeding America’s estimated retail equivalent — and that recent U.S. Department of Agriculture program cuts removed about $600,000 in funding and roughly 2,000,000 pounds of product the bank had expected. “So no reason we — we don’t know. But I’m coming before you because we have a burden just for Montgomery County of almost $800,000 a year,” Coleman said.

Coleman said the city’s mayor has agreed to provide $100,000 and asked the county to match that amount. “We’re asking the county for the same amount, and that’s 25%,” he said. He also told commissioners the food bank can document its finances and would supply financial records on request.

The presentation described program-level impacts by name: Coleman cited reductions in TFAP, CSFP and the LFPA program and said the cutbacks reduced the USDA-provided food volume and administrative funding the bank receives. He said the organization serves 35 counties, and Montgomery County receives the largest share of the organization’s distribution because of population.

Commissioners did not vote on an emergency appropriation during the meeting. After Coleman’s remarks commissioners acknowledged the shortfall and discussed options, including reviewing the county budget and potential amendments or use of designated balances. Staff were asked to receive the food bank’s financial documentation so commissioners could consider the request.

Clarifying details provided by Coleman included the 4,720,000 pounds of food figure for county distributions; Feeding America’s $4.21-per-meal retail equivalent used to estimate the local retail value; an estimated $600,000 in lost USDA funds and about 2,000,000 pounds of USDA food that was canceled; and the food bank’s approximate local funding gap of $800,000 for Montgomery County. Coleman said the food bank operates with 45 employees and pays a living wage for many positions.

The commission did not adopt a funding motion at the meeting. Commissioners asked for the food bank’s financials and said they would discuss how the county might respond in a future budget or appropriations action.