PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A South Florida food bank is serving 17% more people while distributing significantly less food, one year after the federal government eliminated a $420 million program that supplied local food banks with fresh, healthy groceries.
Boca Helping Hands, a Boca Raton-based food pantry with multiple distribution centers in Palm Beach County, continues operating six days a week amid growing lines — but the contents of the bags it hands out have changed.
"The peak of our food acquisition was 5.4 million pounds of food. This year we got 3 — a little less than 4 million pounds, so we're down a million pounds of food," Executive Director Andrew Hagen said.
Hagen said the shortfall traces back to the elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, known as LFPA. The $420 million COVID-era program allowed state governments to purchase food from local producers and distribute it to food banks. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"I looked at what we were giving out and I was so proud of all the really healthy food," Hagen said. "But when that program was cut, it made a significant difference for us."
The USDA also recently released new nutritional guidelines stressing the importance of protein, fresh produce, and the avoidance of processed foods — a standard Hagen said he wants to meet but can no longer sustain without support.
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"We do believe that it's not just about calories, it's what kind of calories," Hagen said. "I just hope that the government who produced it also will help us do it."
The people coming through the distribution line reflect the broader economic strain gripping South Florida. Hagen said many of those seeking food assistance are employed.
"Many people going through this line right now have jobs. You wouldn't be surprised sometimes to find that some of them are your kids' school teachers at public school or a first responder," Hagen said.
Among those who rely on Boca Helping Hands is Ricky, a cook who stops by the center when his paycheck doesn't stretch far enough.
"Being a cook, I still have issues, and you know what? I need food," Ricky said, declining to give his last name.
For Ricky, the center provides more than groceries.
"They fill in the gaps, and that is how I can sit back and survive," Ricky said. "They care about the people, and they know people individually one by one by one."
Maribel Torres, supervisor of the food center in Boca Raton, said the team works to ensure no one leaves empty-handed.
"We always have something to give," Torres said. "We stretch ourselves as much as we can, and you see this is nonstop," she added, gesturing to a line of cars stretching around the parking lot.
A typical pantry bag distributed at the center may include miscellaneous items and pastries. Hagen said the organization gives out what it receives, but he is calling on the federal government to restore the funding that once made healthier options possible.
"We need to really encourage those programs to be brought up to the former level that they were in 2024," Hagen said.
The USDA still offers programs to supply food banks with fresh, local produce. However, the funding for those grants are a small fraction of what LFPA offered. For example, the entirety of the Emergency Food Assistance Program Farm to Food Bank Project Grant program is worth $8 million.
A USDA document listing "potential allocations" for each state under this program shows a total of $500,932 going to Florida for fiscal year 2026.
I reached out to the USDA to ask whether the agency was taking any steps to help close the gap. The agency acknowledged my inquiry, but did not respond to my questions.
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