Robinson is worried about the ripple effect of the USDA cuts since the funding goes through a chain of organizations. In his case, the agency funded Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people and often partners with Catholic Charities to assist local families facing food insecurity.

For many of the region’s pantries, food given out with support of federal assistance amounts to 10 to 30 percent of their total distributions.