A group of volunteers led by Sarah Bluestein, a staff member at the nonprofit Rachel’s Table, pick produce at Laurenitis Farm in Sunderland Nov. 6. The nonprofit is one of many contending with Trump administration funding changes. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
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Rachel’s Table
Jodi Falk, executive director of Rachel’s Table, said that in the past three years, her group received $100,000 a year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It used the money mainly to cover salaries of a director and part-time staff in programs that address food insecurity, including efforts to glean leftover produce from farm fields.
But the nonprofit was told this year the USDA did not have money that aligned with that work, Falk said.
“I’m not going to cut people, and I’m not going to cut programs,” Falk said. “So, yes, we’re actively engaged in fundraising.”
That fundraising seeks to have donors adopt a garden or support its gleaning program.
Nonprofits, she said, will hear different responses to calls for support in this climate, depending on the field in which they work. And they may see “giving fatigue” among supporters.
“I think that food insecurity and homelessness are both, unfortunately, exponentially growing,” Falk said, “Some people are finally really realizing how deep the problem is, how big the problem is.”