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4/28/2026
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Op-Ed: The RI Community Food Bank needs our help
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By Rep. Scott A. Slater and Sen. Tiara Mack
Too many Rhode Islanders are hungry these days.
Food and other necessary costs continue to rise with no relief in sight.
Children, families, workers and seniors are going to bed hungry at night, only to wake up in the morning with the anxiety and fear of not being sure when the next meal will come.
This is where the RI Community Food Bank comes into play, but this life-saving organization is struggling, too.
Last year, the General Assembly recognized hunger as a rising concern among Rhode Island families and responded by passing an additional $500,000, for a total of $950,000, in the state budget to support the Food Bank. Since then, federal funding for critical anti-hunger programs like SNAP has been threatened by the passage of the “Big Billionaire Handout Bill” in Congress and numerous other harmful federal policies that have been enacted, resulting in many Rhode Island families experiencing devastating changes to their SNAP benefits and higher grocery bills. This has intensified the state’s hunger crisis and reliance on food pantries to keep people fed.
While the need for Food Bank support has skyrocketed over the past several years, the amount of donated food coming into the Food Bank has also plummeted, leaving purchased food as the largest source of nourishment that the Food Bank can offer. While more and more Rhode Islanders worry about the status of their next meal, legislators are forced to find more ways to fund hundreds of local pantries across the state responsible for feeding thousands of families across Rhode Island.
This is why we have introduced legislation (2026-H 7259, 2026-S 2237) that would allocate an additional $3 million to the Food Bank, with the money strictly being used to purchase more food for Rhode Islanders in need. Because the RI Food Bank can purchase food cheaper than average consumers, every dollar spent equals one pound of purchased food, ensuring your tax dollars are used to maximize feeding your neighbors, parents and children.
The data is clear. In 2025, one of every three households is food insecure. That’s one in three of every student, every employee, every family and every senior. Our state cannot prosper if our residents are trying to function with an empty stomach. The RI Community Food Bank is a crucial lifeline to hungry Rhode Islanders, but it cannot fulfill its noble and crucial mission without help.
We will be heavily advocating for this bill during the remainder of the legislative session because we both have seen and heard from countless constituents about the impact federal funding and program changes have had on hard-working Rhode Islanders.
As elected officials, we know a strong and responsive government is one that can deliver on basic needs, like food. We urge our fellow legislators to pass this vital allocation so that the Food Bank can do its job and keep our families, friends and neighbors fed.
Rep. Scott A. Slater, a Democrat, represents District 10 in Providence. Sen. Tiara Mack, a Democrat, represents District 6 in Providence.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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