This story was reported and written by our media partner WUNC.
Food insecurity across the state is continuing to increase, according to an analysis of USDA and Census Bureau data by Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The president and CEO of the Food Bank in Central and Eastern North Carolina, Amy Beros, said statewide, 15.5% of North Carolinians are food insecure.
"That's roughly 1 in 6 people, or 1.7 million neighbors," said Beros. "For children, the rate is even higher at 21.5%, meaning more than 1 in 5 kids and teens are worried about their next meal."
Essentially, that amounts to close to 630,000 people in the 34-county region that the food bank serves. Beros said that's nearly 180,000 more people than at the height of the pandemic in 2021.
Some reasons for the increase include the cost of food, housing, and health care. She adds without wages increasing, people can't afford to keep up with paying for the essential things.
Beros said another issue impacting food insecurity in North Carolina is that more than $30 million in funding has been cut from the USDA that helped food banks, schools and farmers.
She said now, federal changes to SNAP benefits are making it harder for families with stricter work requirements.
"So, for those who are working, the challenge can be unstable hours, seasonal employment, caregiving responsibilities, help limitations, transportation, or even the documentation required to continue to prove eligibility," said Beros. "And our state data shows that SNAP enrollment already declined by more than 110,000 people between September 2025 and August of this year."
While the food bank did receive $9 million in this year's state budget, she added it's not enough to make up for the loss of federal funding under President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." Starting Oct. 1, the federal government will cut its share of SNAP administration costs in half to 25% — shifting the 75% of costs to states. Beros said although the state portion of that is covered under the recent budget, the county portion is not. She said it will leave understaffed social service offices preparing for a greater workload, among other things.
Copyright 2026 WUNC News