Farm bill delay hits home

Already over budget and facing unprecedented demand, a local food bank is dismayed that Congress has once again put off action on a $300 billion farm bill that funds agricultural subsidies and nutrition programs.

The delay of the legislation, coupled with rising food and energy costs, constitutes a "double whammy" for nonprofits that feed the hungry, said Nicholas Saccaro, chief executive officer of Care and Share Food Bank, the largest emergency food distribution center in southern Colorado.

"It's meant we've had to purchase and transport more food into the area to bridge the gap, and it's been incredibly expensive for us to do that," Saccaro said.

The situation has pushed Care and Share $110,000 over budget in food purchases this year, he said.

The law expired in September. Friday, lawmakers requested a sixth extension, which gives Congress two more weeks to complete revisions. The farm bill supports programs such as food stamps, and commodities that the U.S. Department of Agriculture buys from farmers - such as peanut butter, cheese, cereal, milk, fruits and vegetables - and disburses to food centers that help the needy.

Supplies of those kitchen staples have dwindled at Care and Share, Saccaro said. Colorado food banks received $2.4 million worth of the food commodities in 2003 and $600,000 worth last year, he said.

At the same time, demand for food has increased. Many new clients are the working lower-middle class and typically have not sought food assistance in the past, Saccaro said.

"People are able to purchase less at the store, which means greater reliance on us," he said.

Care and Share distributes about 11 million pounds of food annually to 435 agencies, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and emergency shelters. Last year, the organization served 93,000, up from 85,000 two years ago, Saccaro said. He projects at least 100,000 clients this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The need also is greater this year at Westside CARES, which runs four food pantries on Colorado Springs' west side. Last year, the organization served 13,775 clients, said Steve Brown, executive director, and his organization has seen double-digit increases for five of the past six years.

"People - and not just those we'd categorize as the chronically poor - are having a hard time affording the basic necessities, a direct indicator of the precariousness of the economic situation," he said.

But Brown questions whether the new farm bill will help those who need food assistance: "If the intention of TEFAP (the commodity program) is to help the poor with food, it is a spectacular failure. If the purpose is to undergird the subsidies to the agricultural industry, then I would guess it's succeeding."

The law's benefits for the poor have declined in value over the past five years, he said. Only one of Westside CARES pantries receives federal commodities, and it's able to give only eight to nine food items per household for one month, enough to make two to three meals.

"I tell people it's not worth bothering," said Brown, whose group also gets support from Care and Share, local churches and individuals. "Our own distribution gives each person in the household nine meals."

But Saccaro thinks passage of the new farm bill, which would inject an additional $10 billion into the nutrition program, would help Care and Share, which also receives financial assistance from the program. He was among many in the industry to give input to U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democratic member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which drafted the bill.

"We're pleased with what could come out of it and that the changes have been indexed for inflation," Saccaro said.

Stephanie Valencia, Salazar's spokeswoman, said Friday that he is hopeful the policy differences holding up the bill will be resolved.

"They've made significant progress and have compromised on the biggest parts of it, so they're moving forward," she said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0235 or debbie.kelley@gazette.com