EAST ALLEN TWP., Pa. — Squeezed by federal cuts and delayed state funding, Second Harvest Food Bank does not have enough food coming in to meet demand, the nonprofit’s leaders said Monday.
“The shelves at Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley are nearly empty, and the situation is dire,” Dawn Godshall, chief executive officer of Community Action Lehigh Valley, which runs Second Harvest, said.
“Increased need has been met with decreased funding, and the impact is devastating.”
“We understand that every administration will have different priorities, but hunger and poverty don't have a political party. We need legislators to do the right thing. We need people to stand up and speak up.”Dawn Godshall, chief executive officer of Community Action Lehigh Valley
It’s the latest sign that funding cuts are straining Community Action Lehigh Valley, which has lost more than $6.6 million in federal grants.
CALV more than a week ago warned of the coming struggle, saying then that its shelves were nearly empty.
At a news conference at Second Harvest’s warehouse, leaders from CALV and Second Harvest said the situation has only worsened.
They warned of looming disruptions to services that Lehigh Valley residents rely on for food, shelter, heating and other essentials.
In addition to cuts affecting Second Harvest, CALV has lost $2.8 million in community development and community services block grants that fund the Sixth Street Shelter, housing counseling and community development programs.
It further lost a $2.6 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, used to help pay for low-income families’ heating bills in winter and weatherize aging homes.
“We understand that every administration will have different priorities, but hunger and poverty don't have a political party,” Godshall said.
“We need legislators to do the right thing. We need people to stand up and speak up.”
Second Harvest
Already reeling from deep federal cuts to food aid programs, Second Harvest said, it's now being squeezed by delayed state funding, a victim of delays to this year’s budget process.
Each year, the food bank gets $9.5 million dollars from Pennsylvania’s State Food Purchase Program. Because state legislators failed to adopt a budget by the June 30 deadline, food banks such as Second Harvest can't buy food through the program until a budget is in place.
“That’s a really big hit,” Second Harvest Associate Executive Director Sarah Wassel said.
“Once the budget passes, we would be in a better position. The problem is, it's reimbursement, so we need [state officials] to agree before we start moving forward.”
Missing state funding worsens deep cuts to federal funding Second Harvest used to receive, according to the agency.
Second Harvest also has lost federal funds provided through community block grants and other food aid programs.
In all, the nonprofit took in nearly 3 million pounds less food in the 2024-25 fiscal year compared with the year before. Meanwhile, demand for food aid has only grown.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture soon could cut The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides Second Harvest with $9.5 million worth of food each year plus money for operating expenses.
To fill the gap left by state and federal money, several local grocery store chains and food distributors have stepped up with large donations in recent weeks, according to Second Harvest.
Second Harvest also works with organizations such as Farmlink, which connect food banks with produce and other goods that otherwise would be thrown away.
But even if food distributors donate enough to make up the lost food pound-for-pound, they still would not be a substitute for cash.
Though Second Harvest prides itself on accepting any offered food, a meal assembled from whatever distributors can't sell might not be particularly appealing or nutritious.
One recent donation, for example, included several thousand bottles of soda.
“When we bring in donations like a truck from Wakefern, who are amazing partners, it might be a mixture of oatmeal, cooking oil, sometimes Lysol — it's not like pasta and sauce,” Second Harvest Operations Manager Melissa Conway said.
“That's what we were able to do when we purchased food: create meals that were healthy and easy to put together.”
Fresh produce, in particular, will be hard to come by; Second Harvest has not been able to buy milk or eggs in several months, Conway said.
