POPLARVILLE — After a busy morning, more than 20 cars stretched down Main Street in Poplarville as over 300 people waited for their monthly grocery pickup from Jacob’s Well Recovery Center.  

The food pantry was quickly emptied, leaving behind stacks of empty boxes — a sign of just how many rely on the center for groceries they otherwise couldn’t afford. 

Edgar Sonier, a retired resident of Poplarville, never misses a monthly pickup. He and his wife, who is on disability, budget food from the pantry against their fixed income. Sonier said rising grocery costs have made food banks necessary for low-income residents. 

“If you go to the grocery store, food is extremely high. I went one day and looked at some eggs, and it was like $10 for 18 eggs. I’m like, ‘Lord, have mercy. What’s going on here?’” Sonier said. 

The demand Sonier describes is only expected to grow — but the resources that meet that demand are shrinking. 

In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted more than $1 billion in funding for food assistance, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. That program helped organizations like Jacob’s Well Recovery Center by funding the purchase of locally produced food. 

Mississippi is one of more than 40 states that participate in the program, receiving $6.8 million through the program to support food banks and local farms. While existing program agreements will be honored, additional dollars for fiscal year 2025 are unlikely, according to the federal government. 

The loss of funding could significantly affect the food banks that serve communities like Poplarville, according to food bank officials and recipients as well as local farmers. 

Food banks brace for meal shortages 

In south Mississippi, the federal program directed funding to Feeding the Gulf Coast, part of the Feeding America network. That organization then distributed food to local pantries, including Jacob’s Well. 

Michael Ledger, president of Feeding the Gulf Coast, said the program has been very impactful, especially in rural Mississippi counties with both underserved farmers and high hunger rates. 

“To be able to help a farmer who then could maybe get that other piece of equipment, or buy that other acre, or bring on another person to help benefits the farmer, puts dollars into the state economy — (and) that food (helps) a neighbor in need who we’re trying to get out of crisis and into stability … it’s just a win, win, win,” Ledger said. 

According to Feeding America, about 20% of people in southeast Mississippi lived in a food-insecure household in 2022. Ledger predicts a permanent loss of federal dollars for food programs would inevitably bring more low-income families to food banks while creating more holes in the current food supply network. 

“Each one of those programs is a link in a chain that creates this support system … and loss of any one of those links can weaken it and create gaps. That’s where people start to fall through,” Ledger said. 

Amy Evans, director of therapeutic programming at Jacob’s Well, reflected on the broader trend of disappearing aid. 

“This is a pattern in the community right now, as we are losing a lot of federal funding for a lot of different projects,” Evans said. “And this is where I think, as a community, we have an unfortunate opportunity to realize and reestablish the way that we approach community care.” 

She said south Mississippi communities will have to step in to help each other. 

“It’s going to be time for the community to take care of helping services and really stand in the gap,” Evans said. 

For 84-year-old Poplarville resident Gwendolyn Kelly, programs like food boxes from Jacob’s Well mean access to fresh food that is often out of reach.

“Yes, indeed, I can’t always go to the store and buy vegetables. Many times, they are hard to find, and expensive too, and I can’t have a garden, so I really do appreciate it,” Kelly said. “Through the years, I’ve read and learned that it’s better to have fresh food than canned food. If I have to buy canned food, I will, but we know that preservatives and sodium and salt and so much is put in the bought canned vegetables and foods that are not always good for our bodies.” 

The ripple effects of these cuts reach beyond the food banks — they also threaten the livelihoods of local farmers. 

Program cuts threaten small farms 

Funding cuts also mean changes for how local farmers distribute produce. 

WD Farms, a small family-run operation in Neely, partnered with Feeding the Gulf Coast through the federal program.  

“We have squash and pickling cucumbers … we deliver the sweet corn and the potatoes and watermelon,” said co-owner Stephanie Murphy. “Sometimes we’ll have a truckload of watermelons or just a few peppers and a few potatoes or whatever and make a big order to deliver.” 

Since joining the program two years ago, WD Farms shifted much of its production to meet the needs of food pantries. Stephanie said the program gave farmers a new market and helped connect them with the community. 

“We have a lot of people in our local area that are on a fixed income, and they’re disabled, and they rely on these boxes. It does us good to know that it’s helping these people that rely on this,” Murphy said. “Things like this just bring that closeness, and that’s what communities need. They need that closeness.” 

According to the Agriculture Department, the local food program was designed to financially support underserved producers while improving food system resiliency. In a letter to Feeding the Gulf Coast, Stephanie’s husband, Sammy Murphy, wrote the cuts put the future of their 80-acre farm in jeopardy. 

“I am sorry to hear that FTGC did not receive funding for this coming season. My heart goes out to the people who depend on FTGC for meals. This will impact WD Farms in such a way that we will possibly have to stop farming. My wife and I started this small farm with the hope that we could build it up and pass it on to our grandchildren. This program helps so many not just on the receiving end of it,” Sammy Murphy wrote.