National reporting on hunger disappears

For nearly three decades, the USDA’s annual Household Food Security Report has been the nation’s most reliable data set showing who experiences hunger in the United States.  

Each year, it offered an in-depth picture of how many of our neighbors struggled to access enough nutritious food, who was most affected, and how economic pressures or policy changes shaped that reality. Its sudden cancellation this fall erases our country’s most consistent measure of hardship at the very moment when families are experiencing the greatest strain and makes it easier to hide the impacts of public-benefit cuts included in H.R.1. As the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) put it, eliminating this report “turns back the clock 30 years” on our understanding of food insecurity.  

At North Valley Food Bank (NVFB), we know how deeply hunger and food insecurity affect the health and well-being of our communities. We are currently facing the largest food insecurity crisis in recent history due to the dismantling of public-benefit programs and long-standing safety nets across the nation. Taking away one of the primary tools that helps organizations like ours document this rise does not make hunger less pervasive. Instead, it simply makes it harder to show its impacts.

Here in Northwest Montana, numbers are never the whole story, but they help illuminate what we already see every day. We see parents skipping meals so their kids can eat. We see seniors whose fixed incomes can no longer stretch across housing, utilities, medications, and groceries. We see working families making impossible choices each week, and far too often, food is the first thing cut. Losing a nationally standardized way to share this reality means losing a shared language to advocate for change. It becomes harder to hold decision-makers accountable for policies that push people deeper into poverty. 

NVFB remains fully committed to documenting the realities our neighbors face. If the federal infrastructure for tracking hunger is removed permanently, we will work with community partners, and our statewide food pantry networks to build new systems for local data. Accurate information helps us understand where need is growing, how policies affect families, and which programs and collaborations truly make a difference.  

This year marked a meaningful strengthening of our case-management and referral networks, because our internal data and results from customer focus groups showed us once again that only providing food won’t build food security long-term. Through compassionate, one-on-one sessions with customers, our Community Wellness Coordinator, Savannah, works alongside neighbors to address the interconnected challenges that so often accompany hunger. The root causes of hunger often lie in low wages, domestic violence, unaffordable housing, legal barriers, and chronic health challenges. By deepening collaboration with organizations across these fields, we can support our neighbors more holistically and help them navigate the complex landscape of available social services. 

These partnerships remind us that building food security is a community effort. It requires shared responsibility, shared learning, and shared action. As the federal landscape shifts, local collaboration becomes even more vital. We are committed to strengthening these relationships, expanding our referral pathways, and ensuring every person who comes through our doors is met not only with food but with a network of support. 

The end of the USDA’s report may remove critical national data, but it does not change the lived reality of the thousands of Montanans who rely on food assistance each month. Hunger is increasing in our community. What has changed is the visibility of that truth at the national level. But at NVFB, we refuse to let our community’s experiences be obscured. 

We will continue to listen, to advocate, and to ensure that every neighbor, regardless of circumstance, has access to the healthy, dignified food they deserve. 

Sophie Albert is the executive director of North Valley Food Bank.