By CEO David B. Waters
At Community Servings, we continue to provide life-changing meals to individuals across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. However, the growing demand for our services is quickly outpacing 
resources. In just a few months, our waitlist has surged past 215 people, and we are now only enrolling new clients at a critical or end stage of their illness. As we navigate this increased demand, we are also keeping a close eye on developments in Washington, D.C., to understand how recent Federal policy changes may affect our ability to continue offering these essential services.
Cuts to Food Purchase Programs
Like many community-based organizations, especially food banks and farmers, we are beginning to feel the impact of recent congressional and executive actions. These shifts are making it harder to sustain and expand the support we provide to our neighbors.
For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancellation of over $1 billion in funding for two local food purchasing programs—the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA)—has dealt a significant blow to our region. Massachusetts was set to receive $6.4 million through LFPA to strengthen local food systems and increase access to fresh, nutritious food. This funding cut is hurting our farmers, leading to potential reduced production, lost revenue, and decreased stability in the local food economy. For Community Servings, we were expecting a $500,000 grant from LFPA to support our Local Foods Program, which would have allowed us to purchase more local ingredients for our medically tailored meals. This would have enhanced the nutritional quality of our meals while supporting small farms. Losing this funding is a significant setback to our efforts to expand access to healthy food and strengthen the local food system.
Reduction in HIV Funding
In addition to the funding cuts for food programs, we experienced an unexpected 19% reduction in funding through the Ryan White program this spring. This program plays a crucial role in providing nutrition services to our neighbors living with HIV/AIDS, a community we have been committed to serving since our founding during the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1990. These cuts may force us to scale back our services, which is especially disheartening given our long history of supporting this vulnerable population.
Medicaid Cuts
We are also monitoring for federal cuts to Medicaid funding, which could significantly impact our healthcare contracts with MassHealth ACOs. These contracts represent a substantial portion of our annual revenue, and any changes to this funding would seriously impact the scope of services we can provide. Once the federal budget is finalized, we will have a clearer understanding of how these cuts might affect us.
Potential Tariff Impact
Finally, we are keeping a close watch on newly introduced tariffs that may affect our purchasing power. While suppliers are working through their current inventory, we expect market pressure to shift toward domestic supply in the coming months, which could cause price increases and supply chain disruptions. We anticipate these changes will be felt most strongly in June and July, as sourcing shifts geographically. We will monitor the tariff threats closely and share updates as we learn more.
How You Can Help
While these updates are concerning, please take solace in the fact that Community Servings was founded during a public health crisis—one that was, for too long, ignored by many of our elected officials. Despite the challenges, we remained steadfast, supported by compassionate individuals like you. As we have for the past 35 years, we will continue our focused work. Health and access to food are nonpartisan issues. Hunger and illness affect everyone, regardless of political affiliation, race, religion, gender identity, or background.
Though we are prepared to face whatever comes next, we welcome the opportunity to work with the current Administration to further the Food is Medicine movement and expand access to medically tailored nutrition for all Americans.
As we continue to monitor these developments, we will keep you informed about any specific actions we may need to take, whether involving financial support, volunteering, advocacy, or other forms of assistance. In the meantime, please consider making a gift, joining our monthly giving program, or increasing your recurring gift to help us ride out this storm and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Thank you for your ongoing belief in our work, especially during these uncertain times. We are stronger because of you
