Local Food Bank Worried About Federal Budget Cuts

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Local middle Georgia agencies are worried, but hopeful about the decision to cut billions of dollars of funding in the Farm Bill.

Each day volunteers pack, stack, and move boxes full of food at the middle Georgia community food Bank hoping every family who needs it gets fed.

This week congress is in talks about the farm bill potentially cutting billions of dollars from the program trying to prevent people from taking advantage.

Ronald Raleigh is the Executive Director of the Food Bank. He says families who use the stamps need all the help they can get.

“Those only make up about 80% of what the consumer actually needs if they’re going to meet there total needs for their family for food for the month,” Raleigh said.

Raleigh says volunteers like Vickie Ward are always busy.

“If you end up giving somebody who doesn’t really need it that much at least maybe you’ve covered all the ones who did need it,” Ward said.

She works for the Salvation Army and says cuts to the program would be devastating.

Even young volunteers are lending a helping hand, like a youth group from Birmingham, Alabama. The director for the group says kids are enjoying themselves while making a difference.

Volunteers want people to write to their local government about the potential cuts. Raleigh says the food bank is a lifeline.

“There are people out there that without food stamps, without a food pantry program, without a food bank, they could not exist in any kind of standard of living where they could feed there children and take care of the necessities of life,” Raleigh said.