KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
Eagles Community Outreach is near the end of its last shipment of meat and eggs sent before funding was cut from a USDA grant program in March.
"We’ve been getting 200-250 pounds of meat a month," said Jack Benson, Eagles Community Outreach founder, a nonprofit organization. "Now that grant money has ran out and we’re not gonna get it."
Jack and Crystal Benson started their organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They saw the pandemic's negative financial impact on their neighbors.
They created a brick-and-mortar storefront that offers a boutique-style store for men, women, and children while also offering a food pantry service.
The nonprofit's objective is to give struggling families dignity in the clothes they wear and the food they eat. They serve 250 Cass County families every month.
"It's a great feeling being able to help people," Crystal Benson told KSHB 41's Cass County Beat Reporter Ryan Gamboa.
Eagle's Community Outreach joined with a larger Kansas City nonprofit organization that supplements Eagle's with about 250 pounds of locally-sourced meat products.
The Bensons' nonprofit buys an additional 250 pounds through fundraising efforts and donations.
"We try to give them at least two to three meals that they can go home and fix for their family," Crystal Benson said.
The United States Department of Agriculture cut $1 billion in March from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS).
The Bensons received their meat and egg products through the LFPA program, which directly supports local farmers.
The government funding for the program has stopped, and Eagle's Community Outreach is taking a hard look at its finances.
"We might have to cut back to one meal for each family," Crystal Benson said.
RELATED | US Rep. Mark Alford sends letter to USDA to reconsider COVID-era food program funding
Last week, KSHB 41's Cass County Beat Reporter Ryan Gamboa first reported Congressman Mark Alford (R-MO) sent a letter urging Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to continue funding these programs.
"I will continue to fight for programs that make sense," Alford told Gamboa last week.
Eagles Community Outreach is about 100 yards from Alford's Raymore office.
Jack Benson visited with Alford's legislative team this summer, expressing his concern with the program's cuts.
"The fact that he listened to try and get the ball rolling. It means a lot," Benson said.
Rep. Alford admitted to KSHB 41 he wished he'd shown support for this program earlier.
Alford sits on the House Committee on Appropriations and told KSHB 41 he's fighting to fund programs proven to work.
"If we look hard enough, we can find the money to fund programs like this," he said. "Whether it’s a Republican issue or a Democrat issue, to me, this doesn’t really matter. This is about feeding people who are hungry and keeping some of these programs going for people that rely on these programs."
KSHB 41 has covered these programs extensively since the funding cuts were announced.
Alford's letter names two Cass County food banks, Eagles Community Outreach and Bridge Over Troubled Waters in Belton, Missouri.
RELATED | Kansas City USDA food program cuts could leave some without enough food
In March, KSHB 41 amplified the voices of Harvesters Community Food Network. Harvesters used the LFPA program in Kansas.
Alford mentioned Harvesters in his letter to the USDA, and he told Gamboa he'd be willing to have conversations with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Gov. Mike Kehoe (R-MO) to discuss funding disbursement options for Missouri food banks.
Josh and Lawanna Salmon, cattle ranchers from St. Clair County, Missouri, were also named in the letter. KSHB 41 amplified their near $100,000 loss in program cuts in March.
RELATED | Kansas City area farmers lose big profits following USDA funding cuts
"I started seeing the stories on your station and others in the market about these organizations that are truly hurting," Alford added. "We have to make our farmers and producers a priority. But we also have to remember that food goes somewhere. When it goes to feeding the needy in our great nation and the 4th Congressional District of Missouri, this is a very important relationship to keep going."
The Bensons believe they have enough meat and egg products to offer to families for a couple of days.
"The future is in limbo," Benson added.
There is no timeline for when the program funding could resume. If funding does not continue, services next year would be drastically reduced.
"It gives us a little hope," Crystal Benson said about Alford's letter. "I hope that they’ll let some of these funds go through. Then we can start getting the meats again. We want to continue to serve people at the level we have."
Eagles Community Outreach is looking to offset operating costs with community donations.
For more information on how to support their mission, click here.
—
