Statewide School Food Pantry Program funding extended

Nonprofit partnership helps feed Crittenden County children in need

By THE TIMES NEWS STAFF

news@theeveningtimes.com

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas announced that funding for the Statewide School Food Pantry Program has been extended through December 31, 2024. In late July the Food Bank was informed that the program’s funding would end September 30.

The School Food Pantry Program is funded by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas administers the statewide grant that currently enables 51 school districts across Arkansas to provide emergency food assistance to families with children under the age of 18.

According to Christie Jordan, CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, DHS informed the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas in late July that the amount of TANF funds allocated to Arkansas had decreased, resulting in program cuts.

“While I understand that DHS had to make some tough decisions regarding decreased funding, I was obviously disappointed that the School Food Pantry Program would not receive funding for the new program year,” Jordan said. “We notified our school partners to allow as much time as possible to communicate the changes with families who receive supplemental food through the program because we anticipated that the loss of these food resources would be hard for many of the families served through the School Food Pantry Program.”

Arkansas has a child food insecurity rate of 23.2 percent, well above the national average of 17.5 percent. Feeding America estimates more than 163,000 children in Arkansas are food-insecure.

“On August 23, DHS confirmed that they were able to offer a funding extension through December 31, 2024, for the School Food Pantry Program. DHS is also researching other funding sources in hopes of continuing the program in 2025,” Jordan said. After working through some process details for the funding extension, participating schools were notified today that the program can continue through the end of the calendar year.

About Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides hunger relief to people in need by raising awareness, securing resources, and distributing food through a network of non-profit agencies and programs. The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides the equivalent of 128,000 meals each week to people facing hunger. The Food Bank works in partnership with 186 nonprofit partner agencies and programs in 12 counties in Northeast Arkansas. These counties include Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, St. Francis, and Woodruff.

Additionally, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas is a member of Feeding America, a national network of food banks, as well as a founding member of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. For additional information, please visit our website www.food bankofnea.org. You can also find the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas on Facebook @FoodBankofNEA and Instagram @foodbankofnea.