The Mid-South Food Bank is cutting back its mobile food pantry model, a relic of the funding growth for non-profits helping low-income families during the COVID-19 pandemic which has since faded away. Posts on social media sites like Reddit suggested that the scaling back of the mobile pantries was due to cost-cutting efforts done by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency task force, but according to a post on the Mid-South Food Bank's website, that is not the case. The organization said it has had to scale back its mobile pantry program due to the lack of federal dollars coming in after the end of the global pandemic. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , grant programs like the American Rescue Plan Act were allocated to local organizations, including the Mid-South Food Bank, to help families who were suffering from job loss and other financial hardships. ARPA funds allocated towards state and local governments were supposed to be obligated by December 2024 and will have to be expended by December 2026. Shelby County received $182 million in ARPA funds. The city of Memphis received $161 million in ARPA funds. Volunteers distribute food to 300 families at the University of Memphis on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. The food was donated by Mid-South Food Bank. According to the 2023 audited financials of the Mid-South Food Bank, the organization received a little under $1.8 million from Shelby County ARPA allocations and $953,619 from the city of Memphis' funding allotment. 2022 financial reports show the Mid-South Food Bank also received $68,674 from the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi allocated through the COVID-19 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It was not immediately clear how much money the Mid-South Food Bank has received from the various COVID-19 era federal grant programs, or how much of that money was responsible for the expansion of the mobile food pantry program. "As we enter the new year, we are taking the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on several programs initiated in response to the heightened community needs during this challenging period, and how they align with our core business model," Mid-South Food Bank said in a statement. Because of the loss of federal dollars, the food bank is "scaling back" the mobile pantry program, going from its height of operating 186 mobile sites in 2023 to 137 mobile sites in 2025. In 2023, Mid-South Food Bank estimated it served 62,000 households thanks to the mobile pantry program. Now, in 2025 the organization is estimated to serve 47,950 households with the same scaled-back program. A box of food moves down the line Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis. "We recognize how this decision may impact our neighbors who relied on this service; however, we want to assure you that we will continue to provide essential support through our Core Partner Programs such as our brick-and-mortar pantries, soup kitchens, and pantry-supported deliveries which remain committed to serving those in need," Mid-South Food Bank said in a statement. "The rush of COVID-related money from Donors, Foundations, and the Government is over, but the demand for services remains high." Prior to COVID-19, the Mid-South Food Bank operated 27 mobile sites, serving 5,614 households annually, according to the organization. What mobile food pantries were impacted The Mid-South Food Bank provided a link to a document with the mobile food pantry sites that have closed due to the lack of funding. The closures include locations in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. The following mobile food pantries are closed: Brooke Muckerman is a political reporter for The Commercial Appeal, covering the city of Memphis, Shelby County Government and MSCS Board of Education. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and via phone at 901-484-6225 . This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mid-South Food Bank mobile pantry closures due to end of COVID relief
