Cuts to assistance will put pressure on families, local food shelves

Daisy DeLeon Esqueda, Manager, Echo Food Shelf 

What began in 1981 in a church basement has grown into a critical safety net for thousands. The Emergency Community Help Organization (ECHO) now distributes 160,000 pounds of food each month to 1,700 households in Blue Earth County and North Mankato. But even as it grows, the need continues to outpace resources. 

The impact is clear to Daisy DeLeon Esqueda, ECHO’s manager. 

“Before the pandemic, we were serving about 89 households a day. During the pandemic, when there were programs like P-EBT, increased SNAP benefits and the Child Tax Credit, that number dropped to 45. Right now, we’re seeing 130 families each day.” 

Even with expanded space and operations, the food shelf is feeling the pressure. 

“We’re serving over 500 people, and we are bursting at our seams.” 

Rising grocery prices are impacting clients and ECHO’s ability to meet the demand. Cuts to federal food assistance have added more uncertainty to an already fragile situation. 

“We really don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re already being affected by the cuts that are happening at the federal level.” 

Along with hunger, DeLeon Esqueda is concerned about the broader impact on the community’s well-being. 

“How is that going to impact their education? Their work? Their health? Whether they feel stable in their community financially and economically?” 

With record demand and fewer resources, organizations like ECHO are doing all they can. But the pressure is growing, and so is the need for sustained support.