The Michigan Senate held two committee hearings the week of June 9, 2025, to examine how the U.S. House’s budget plan would impact Michigan families and farmers across the state. Executive directors from Community Food Club, Community Action House, and Lakeshore Food Club testified about how upcoming federal assistance cuts will impact their operations. Programs facing significant reductions—SNAP, TEFAP, and LFPA—each play crucial roles in addressing food insecurity. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides grocery aid for low-income families; The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) supplies USDA foods to supplement food banks; and Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) supports agricultural supply chains by purchasing from local producers.
While local community support remains strong, reductions in federal food assistance will affect these food clubs’ ability to provide access to adequate and affordable nutrition for families. The directors expressed their concerns by referencing statistics that demonstrate the effects of the cuts on the families they serve.
AJ Fossel, Executive Director of Community Food Club, spoke before the Committee on Health and Human Services on June 10. She reported that the food club experienced a 47% increase in membership within six months after pandemic-driven SNAP benefits were discontinued in 2023, with an additional 20% growth since then. To manage this demand, they recently implemented a waitlist, which grew to over 300 households in the first six weeks. She also noted the impact on smaller grocery stores, which depend on up to 25% of their income from SNAP families. This situation has broader economic implications, including potential job losses and negative effects on communities across Michigan.
“Senators, this is not a political issue. It is a people issue. Everyone deserves to have food on their tables and grocery stores deserve to have every opportunity to thrive in this challenging economy. SNAP is the best way to do both.”
Scott Rumpsa, Executive Director of Community Action House, spoke before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture on June 11 and discussed how TEFAP is a key component of their food supply, with reductions leading to an increase in expenses by $150,000. He noted the impact on food pantries that depend on these supplies and may face closure. Additionally, Rumpsa explained how CAH has worked hard to adapt, utilizing the Michigan Agricultural Surplus System (MASS) in collaboration with Feeding America West Michigan, along with grants from Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and Michigan Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD). He urged lawmakers to support programs like these to assist Michigan residents confronting food insecurities in maintaining stability despite inconsistencies in federal funding.
“With these and other tools working in tandem with a compassionate community, collaborative food producers and retailers, and a government committed to common-sense solutions, we can all do more—and right now, we need to do more. Because at our collective best, we’re not just distributing food—we’re creating systems that sustain dignity, nutrition, and opportunity.”
O’Nealya Gronstal, Executive Director of Lakeshore Food Club, also testified in that hearing. She spoke on behalf of a rural demographic regarding how LFPA cuts affect their capacity to purchase from and support local farmers and producers who depend on that income. While still upholding those values to reinvest in their local economy, she expressed how unsustainable it is alone.
“We hear often that nonprofits and donors will step in and fill the gap, but let me be clear, philanthropy cannot absorb a $250,000 funding loss on top of the current spikes in food prices in a rural community. We are seeing greater need in our community now than at the height of the pandemic, and each time SNAP benefits are cut or restructured, our membership soars because families are left with nowhere else to go. We are proud to do this work, but nonprofits alone cannot and should not be expected to carry the burden of a broken federal pipeline.”
Like Rumpsa, Gronstal also cited LFC’s recent access to both an MDARD grant and MASS funding in partnership with Feeding America West Michigan, and encouraged senators to champion these state-funded initiatives. “We understand that this committee does not control federal food policy, but you do control whether Michigan has the tools to respond when that policy fails.”
Gronstal further petitioned Michigan lawmakers to partner with the many organizations working to address food insecurity for the families in our state.
“We are not asking for charity. We’re asking for a partnership, because when good food is grown here, it should feed people here. Because when people work hard and age with dignity, they should have food on their tables. And because food access is not a line item, it is a lifeline. Let’s build the food system Michigan deserves: local, resilient, rooted in dignity. A system that feeds communities, sustains farms, and brings Michiganders together around the table.”
For more information about the impact of funding reductions, visit the Michigan League for Public Policy. You can use or customize the template message provided to let your voice be heard.
