Demand for food in the High Country was already at record levels before Helene hit. A year after the storm, meeting the ongoing need has become harder for a local relief agency.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina serves 18 counties.
CEO Eric Aft says the mountain region has been facing financial pressures, including high rents and a lack of affordable child care. As a result, the number of individuals the agency serves has more than doubled compared to three years ago.
Since the storm hit, the need has not declined. But the agency is struggling to meet the demand. Aft says federal budget cuts to food and farm programs mean people are getting less on each visit.
“If the situation is sustained the way it is, we're going to have more families facing food insecurity and hunger across the region,” he says. “In the Helene-impacted counties, we think that’ll be even greater just because of the economic challenges.”
Aft says some critical food programs were discontinued by the federal government this year, including a purchase agreement that previously had been used to buy $2 million worth of food from local farmers.