The gap is growing between the need for food assistance in Southeast Nebraska and available resources. As federal funding for food programs declines and eligibility for government-sourced food tightens, an increasing number of neighbors will face uncertainty about how to put meals on the table.
That’s where we come in. And that’s where you can help.
Our C.A.N. Fund—Compassion for All Neighbors—aims to ensure that everyone in Southeast Nebraska has access to reliable, nourishing meals without barriers. Thanks to generous supporters, all gifts made to the C.A.N. Fund will be matched, up to $500,000.
Together, we CAN create a future where no one in our community questions whether they’ll have food on the table.
Three main categories compose our food supply: donated goods, purchased products and government commodities. Each source contributes to the inventory made available to our partner agencies and the menus we can distribute through our programs.
In fiscal year 2025, our food supply* was composed from the following:
- Donated products: 40%
- Government support (food & funds): 32%
- Non-government purchased products: 28%
As part of our government support, we receive funds through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federally-funded, state-administered program. Food purchased with these dollars can only be distributed to neighbors who qualify, based on the program’s standards. Those criteria are tightening.
Further, changes in federal programs, such as a loss of funding through the Local Food Purchase Agreement (LFPA) and expiration of pandemic-area supports, mean less government aid for food and food purchasing in fiscal year 2026.
This comes at a time when hunger is rising, and proposed legislation in Congress is threatening funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—a proven program that helps 155,000 people in Nebraska put food on the table.
This not only affects our ability to serve neighbors, but also impacts overall community health and well-being—areas that impact every person, whether you’ve personally experienced food insecurity or not.
*Food supply percentages are projections.
Nearly 70,000 neighbors in Southeast Nebraska—including 21,390 children—are food insecure, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap analysis.
That’s 1 in 7 people, including 1 in 5 kids, who may not know where their next meal will come from.
The demand for food assistance in our 16-county service area has grown. This year, our programs and partners connected about 490,000* households to meals—a 153% increase from just five years ago.
As the elevated need outpaces available resources, we’ve had to make difficult adjustments, such as scaling back the amount of food we can offer at each distribution and reducing the variety of items provided.
We’re doing more with less.
All are welcome at the Food Bank of Lincoln. We will not turn anyone away without food.
But to give neighbors the variety of healthy food choices they deserve, we could use your help.
Through the C.A.N. Fund—Compassion for All Neighbors—we will be able to purchase more food to meet the growing demand and ensure there are options available for all neighbors, without barriers. It’s a commitment to our Core Values of Compassion and Responsibility. And with your help, a reflection of our Core Value of Collaboration.
Together, we can ensure no one goes without access to a basic human need—food.
