Our Public Policy
Advocacy is essential to advance and achieve Food Bank of the Albemarle’s mission: The Food Bank of Albemarle’s mission is to foster community collaboration, connecting people to healthy food and a brighter future.
Public policy and government programs serve a vital role in promoting food security, increasing economic mobility, and ensuring families have the foundational support they need to reach their potential. These policies and programs complement Food Bank of the Albemarle’s role in our region. For example, SNAP provides nine meals for every one provided by the Food Bank. In addition, school nutrition programs are the frontline to address food insecurity for children and work in coordination with our services.
Providing opportunities for members of our community to thrive takes more than providing good food; it also requires advocating for effective policies at every level of government.
Food Bank of the Albemarle is a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to advocating for policies that impact the neighbors we serve. We believe everyone should be informed about legislation and programs that affect food security, including TEFAP, CSFP, and SNAP. Community engagement is essential to our mission, and one of the most effective ways to create change is by participating in the democratic process.
That’s why we partner with nonpartisan organizations to help neighbors learn how and where to register to vote and encourage active participation in national, state, and local elections. Your voice matters—together, we can build a stronger, hunger-free community.
Our policy agenda will focus on protecting and strengthening nutrition programs, the food system, and the health of our communities, and on advancing success for all members of our region.
The NC Senate Appropriations Budget
We understand that the Senate Appropriations Committee recommendations did not include any funding for the North Carolina food banks, including the Food Bank of the Albemarle, in the next fiscal year’s budget. This funding provided millions of meals to our neighbors across Northeastern North Carolina through our network of hunger-relief partners across the 15 counties we serve.
- The loss of the appropriation of $1 million to Food Bank of the Albemarle would result in 800,000 fewer meals, and make us rely on public support to make up the difference.
- This food stocks the food pantries of Northeastern North Carolina.
- Food Bank of the Albemarle has already reduced staffing by 19% due to cuts.
Impact of State Funding and Federal Programs
With the recent passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, nearly $200 billion in SNAP benefits will be cut at a time when our neighbors need help the most. With fewer (or no) benefits, our neighbors will seek out their local pantry to get the food they need. Food Bank of the Albemarle and our partner network will not be able to meet the gap in meals due to this extreme change in our neighbor’s SNAP benefits.
- Together, the six North Carolina Food Banks serve all 100 counties through over 2,700 distribution organizations, including faith-based, private nonprofit, healthcare, and school partners.
- We purchase food from more than 47 farmers in Northeastern NC. These efforts are about feeding people and investing in local economies.
- The loss of LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program) eliminated $1 million (800,000 lbs. of food) in funding that allowed FBA to support area farmers, growers, and packers through the purchase of local and fresh products.
- Our service area in northeastern North Carolina faces unique challenges due to its deeply rural nature and limited economic resources. Unlike other regions, we do not have access to large manufacturers, major corporations, or significant local wealth to help offset recent funding cuts. This makes it extremely difficult to raise the additional funds needed to continue meeting the growing needs of our neighbors. Without external support, our ability to provide healthy food to those who rely on us is at serious risk.
We appreciate your consideration and commitment to continuing your bi-partisan investment in this funding, which is about more than food – it is about our shared values, support of families and farmers, and keeping North Carolina’s economy strong.
We urge you to contact the committee members of the 2025-2026 session immediately. Ask them to:
- Allocate $9.1 million to be split evenly between the 6 NC food banks.
- Consider the impact a loss of $1 million to Food Bank of the Albemarle and how the loss of over 800,000 meals will impact their constituents.
Click the links below to email your representative
Take a few minutes to watch these stories from our neighbors who rely on SNAP and Food Bank programs to eat each month:
Advocate to Help Us End Hunger in Northeastern NC
In the 15 counties that Food Bank of the Albemarle serves in Northeastern NC, 1 in 6 of our neighbors are food insecure. These are our friends, co-workers, and family that don’t know where their next meal might come from.
As the cost of food, housing, utilities and other necessities continue to rise, we are seeing record increases in people coming to food pantries.
Together, we have a collective voice and action to change the state of hunger. Our non-partisan advocacy efforts push for policy that give our neighbors choice (SNAP) and have access to nutritious food through the The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
Protect SNAP and Nutrition Programs
Federal nutrition benefits lift millions of families and individuals out of poverty, alleviate food insecurity, and have positive economic impact in the communities we serve.
The Food Bank operates U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition programs such as TEFAP, SNAP, CSFP, and childhood nutrition programs.
Through the budget process and other actions, the Food Bank advocates for the protection, and where warranted, expansion, of these programs to support individuals and families most at risk of being food insecure.
Local Food Donations & Purchasing
The Food Bank network distributes over 8 million pounds of food each year.
This is only possible thanks to the generosity and commitments of our local farmers and growers to provide nutritious food as donations and through low-cost purchase programs. This requires policies and regulations that support our local farmers in promoting sustainability and continuing the pipeline of surplus food coming to the Food Bank. We work to secure state and federal investments in our local agriculture that help offset the costs to grow, harvest and transport this important food.
We need you to advocate with our local and state legislators to keep this funding and food flowing through our network, so that our communities have access to the most nutritious local food possible.
Want to learn more?
- Share our neighbors’ and partners’ stories.
- Follow the Food Bank on social to stay up to date on policy actions: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- Know who your state representatives are, their positions on key issues, and how to contact them: here or here
- Visit the Congressional Hunger Center to learn more about food insecurity in the U.S. and how advocacy fits in
