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Community groups urge Council to protect DC food programs as federal support falters
Summary
Nonprofits and food-access programs told the Committee on Health the mayor's FY26 budget maintains many grants but that looming federal cuts require local backfills to avoid service losses, with requests ranging from $100,000 to restoring Produce Plus to $2.1 million.
At a June 6 hearing of the Committee on Health, local food providers warned that federal funding changes are already tightening food access in the District and urged the Council to preserve or replace local support for several nutrition programs.
Speakers said DC Central Kitchen, Capital Area Food Bank, Food and Friends, FreshFarm, Dreaming Out Loud and others are seeing sharply increased demand while federal nutrition incentives and grants face uncertainty. "We cannot overlook the vital importance of nutritious food in safeguarding our city's health," Alex Moore, chief development officer at DC Central Kitchen, told the committee. He asked the Council to identify an additional $100,000 to sustain the Healthy Corners SNAP-match expansion in FY26.
The Capital Area Food Bank's director of advocacy, Joe Lew, said that federal turmoil is already driving spikes in need at local…
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