AADC community forum addresses cuts to food banks, farmers

Recent federal cuts to food banks and farmers prompted a group of volunteers from the Auburn Area Democratic Club (AADC) to organize a community forum titled "Taking Action on Hunger, Local Voices, Local Solutions." The goal of the June 5 event was to better understand the issues and to brainstorm ideas for helping the community. "Providing food for children, seniors and low-income folks struggling in our current economy is a community-wide responsibility," stated Andy Hayes, president of Auburn Interfaith Food Closet. "It is critical to have forums like this to talk about the needs and how we can solve them together." Four panelists, representing a cross-section of experts, were invited to explain how the federal cuts are directly affecting our community. The panelists and their respective affiliations were Hayes, Ryan Fruchtenicht, program manager for Placer County Health & Human Services; Tammi Riedl, founder and executive director of Gold Country Food Hub; and Lauri Rinker, regional philanthropy manager for Feeding the Foothills. Approximately 70 highly engaged people attended the event at the Auburn Health and Human Resources Building. The questions and answers, together with informal conversations after the event, indicated attendees learned a lot and are eager to take the next steps in working on this issue. Attendees committed to taking action by advocating for funding changes, donating to the organizations that feed individuals and families in our area and volunteering with local organizations. This forum was the first of several planned community events to bring awareness to issues facing community residents and to lift the need for engagement in addressing fundamental concerns for the community. If you would like more information or to volunteer, email Dorian Seamster: doseamster@gmail.com. Food Banks and farmers across the nation are struggling after at least $1 billion in USDA funding cuts, including $330 million for California. These cuts include $500 million in funding for food banks through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP0). Two USDA programs, the Local Food for Schools program ($660 million cut) and the local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement ($420 million cut) were deeply impacted. Both organizations helped schools and food banks buy food from local farmers.