The Duke Endowment makes $1 million grant for food aid during government shutdown

The grant to Feeding the Carolinas will support all ten major food banks in North & South Carolina

Feeding the Carolinas, the association of food banks in North Carolina and South Carolina, has received a $1 million grant from The Duke Endowment to help meet rising demand following disruptions to federal and state food programs.

The federal government shutdown, which paused SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and other food programs, has created hardship and uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of residents across North Carolina and South Carolina. SNAP, also known as food stamps, helps 1.4 million people in North Carolina and 556,000 in South Carolina. In each state, over 40 percent of SNAP recipients are families with children.

The disruption exacerbates a trend of rising food insecurity that was developing before the government shutdown. The grant from the Endowment will help Feeding the Carolinas respond to year-over-year food assistance demand levels that have risen 30 percent or more in the two states. Some North Carolina food banks have set new records for the number of people seeking assistance in September, particularly in areas recovering from Hurricane Helene.

“We are honored and deeply grateful to The Duke Endowment for joining with food banks to respond to this food security crisis in our communities. Over the last several weeks, the federal shutdown has taken food off the tables of our neighbors in need. But here in the Carolinas, we are pulling together to do all we can to ensure that nobody goes hungry.”

“The Duke Endowment is committed to improving life for residents of North Carolina and South Carolina,” said Charlie Lucas, chair of the Endowment’s Board of Trustees. “Our hope is that this contribution will provide some relief for children and families in need of food assistance.”

Cuts to government-run food programs throughout 2025 have harmed food banks’ ability to meet the rising demand. The USDA and Congress significantly reduced funding to food banks in 2025. Private charity is crucial to food banks’ ability to meet their communities’ needs, but philanthropy can’t replace the volume and stability federal nutrition programs provide children, older adults, veterans and people with disabilities.

Feeding the Carolinas is a dual-state association of the ten Feeding America-affiliated Food Banks in North and South Carolina. Feeding the Carolinas’ member Food Banks are working to end hunger in the Carolinas. They support more than 3,700 local charitable agencies, which serve the 2.3 million Carolinians across 146 counties facing hunger annually.

The Duke Endowment has previously supported Feeding the Carolinas in times of increased food insecurity. In 2020, the Endowment issued a $3.5 million grant to help food banks meet increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the Endowment supplied $2 million to help food banks support those affected by Hurricane Helene.

Feeding the Carolinas’ ten member food banks:
• Food Bank of the Albemarle
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast NC
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
• Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
• MANNA Food Bank
• Lowcountry Food Bank
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• Harvest Hope Food Bank
• Golden Harvest Food Bank