MAKE NEWS, COME BACK AND TELL US.

>> THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE I'M COMING TO.

[ Laughter ] >> ERIC: AN OWATONNA FOOD SHELF IS NOW SERVING NEARLY THREE TIMES THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES IT DID IN 2021.

THIS RISING FOOD INSECURITY I BEING FELT ACROSS THE STATE.

NEW FEARS ABOUT FEDERAL CUTS HAS GOT MANY LOOKING FOR STATE RELIEF.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE WENT TO STEELE COUNTY TO FIND OUT MORE.

>> KAOMI LEE: THAT LIINA BEAVER'S FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IS HER WHOLE WORLD.

>> SHE'S MY EVERYTHING.

HAD HER AT ALMOST 40.

>> Kaomi: THAT WAS DECEMBER OF 2019.

>> NO ONE EXPECTED COVID TO HAPPEN.

>> Kaomi: BEAVER MAKES NEARLY $17 AN HOUR AT TARGET, BUT HER HOURS HAVE JUST BEEN CUTS IN HALF TO ONLY 15 HOURS PER WEEK.

HER HUSBAND WORKS AS A FORK LIFT DRIVER AND PAYS CHILD SUPPORT FROM TWO PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS.

THE BEAVERS RELY ON THEIR LOCAL FOOD SHELF TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, YOU KNOW, IF THEY JUST WORK.

I'M WORKING.

MY HUSBAND'S WORKING.

>> THE BEAVER FAMILY IS NOT ALONE.

IN FACT, FOOD SHELVES ACROSS THE STATE ARE SEEING RECORD VISITS.

>> WE COMPLETED 2024, AND WE ARE SEEING ALMOST 9 MILLION VISITS TO FOOD SHELVES STATEWIDE, AND IT REALLY IS A STAGGERING INCREASE FROM ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO.

>> Kaomi: AN INCREASE SHE SAYS HAS TRIPLED, GOING UP BY ONE AND A HALF MILLION VISITS EACH YEAR.

THE FOOD GROUP IS ONE OF SEVEN FOOD BANKS IN MINNESOTA THAT ALLOCATES STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING TO FOOD SHELVES, BUT SHE SAYS A NEW $1 BILLION CUT TO A USDA PROGRAM HAS BEEN ALARMING.

SHE SAYS IT'S COME WITH NO EXPLANATION OR RATIONALE.

>> WHEN WE LOOK AT FOOD SHELVES SEEING RECORD VISITS, AND THEN WE KIND OF LAYER ON TOP THIS REDUCTION IN THE FOOD SOURCING, IT REALLY IS A PRETTY CHALLENGING TIME.

>> Kaomi: IT'S CALLED TFAP, OR THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

THE GOVERNMENT PAYS LOCAL FARMERS TO PROVIDE FOOD TO FOOD SHELVES.

THEY SAY THEY'RE ALREADY FEELING THE CUTS.

>> THERE'S BEEN ABOUT A 35% REDUCTION N LOW OR NO COST FOOD GOING TO OUR FOOD BANKS.

AND THAT WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO US AND IN FACT E STARTED SEEING IT WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF UST LESS FOOD AVAILABLE FOR US TO ORDER AT A COST AND A PRICE POINT THAT WE CAN MANAGE WITHIN OUR BUDGET.

>> Kaomi: IF MORE CUTS TO FEDERAL FUNDING BECOME A REALITY, COMMUNITY PATHWAYS IN OWATONNA SAYS IT'S COMMITTED TO NOT REDUCING HOURS, BUT THERE MAY BE LESS FOOD ON THE SHELVES.

IN CONGRESS ANOTHER PROGRAM FACING CUTS IS S.N.A.P.

"ALMANAC" REACHED OUT TO REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN BAD FINSTAD, WHO REPRESENTS THE FIRST DISTRICT.

IT WILL YOUS OWATONNA.

HE DID NOT REPLY.

>> WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH REPRESENTATIVE FINSTAD WHO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN A UGE DEFENDER OF S.N.A.P.

BUT DOES UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT IT CAN PLAY IN HIS DISTRICT.

THERE'S BEEN SOME TALK AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT, WELL, MAYBE STATES WILL JUST HELP PICK UP SOME OF THIS.

MINNESOTA HAS THE STATE-FUNDED GRANT FOOD SHELF PROGRAM THAT WE ADMINISTER.

THAT TOTAL GRANT PROGRAM IS ABOUT $5 MILLION, WHICH IS GREAT.

BUT IF WE WERE TO ANNUALIZE SOME OF THE PROPOSED CUTS BEING TALKED ABOUT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL FOR S.N.A.P., IT COULD BE ABOUT OVER $200 MILLION.

IN MINNESOTA ALONE PER YEAR.

>> Kaomi: WHILE FOOD BANKS ARE CALLING ON THE STATE TO DO MORE -- >> WE CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH THAT ANY REDUCTION TO S.N.A.P.

BENEFITS WILL TURN THE CURRENT CRISIS INTO A CATASTROPHE.

>> Kaomi: THEIR CAUSE SUFFERED A CRITICAL BLOW WITH THE REVELATION OF A HIGH COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND'S CE OFFING.

>> THEIR TOP PERSON MAKES 721,000 AND THEY HAVE TEN PEOPLE THAT MAKE MORE THAN THE GOVERNOR WHICH IS MORE THAN 150,000.

SO THAT'S ELL OVER $2.6 MILLION.

IN THEIR HIGHEST PAID COMPENSATED PEOPLE.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE CUT HERE, A LITTLE CUT THERE.

>> Kaomi: HOUSE D.F.L.

LEADER CHAIRED THE COMMITTEE LAST YEAR.

HE SAYS THIS YEAR'S COMMITTEE GOT A SMALL INCREASE.

>> BUT THAT COMMITTEE HAS A LOT OF OTHER NEEDS AS WELL IN TERMS OF CHILD PROTECTION AND CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING, OTHER ECONOMIC SUPPORTS FOR FAMILIES.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME VERY DIFFICULT CHOICES TO MAKE.

ON THE GROCERY SIDE, THE FIRST THING THEY COME INTO IS THE PRODUCE AREA.

IT'S ONE OF THE OST NEEDED PRODUCTS THAT PEOPLE REQUEST.

>> Kaomi: BACK AT COMMUNITY PATHWAYS, THE PRODUCE SHELVES ARE SPARSE.

THE FOOD SHELF IS WONDERING HOW IT WILL SERVE THE 4300 FAMILIES THAT CAME THROUGH THEIR DOORS LAST YEAR.

>> WHAT I THINK IS INTERESTING ABOUT THAT NUMBER IS ONLY 2% OF THEM ACCESS US EVERY WEEK.

AND YOU CAN SHOP OUR FOOD SHELF ONCE A WEEK.

SO WHAT THAT TELLS ME INTUITIVELY, IS THERE COUNTLESS FAMILIES LIVING ON THAT EDGE OF NEEDING HELP, NOT NEEDING HELP.

>> SO BROWN RICE.

BUTTER NOODLES ARE ALWAYS A HIT WITH OUR LITTLE ONES.

SO WE GRAB A COUPLE NOODLES EVERY TIME WE'RE HERE.

>> Kaomi: THOSE ARE FOOD SHELF STAPLES THAT BEAVER CAN DEPEND ON BEING HERE.

BUT SHE'S A DIABETIC AND HER HUSBAND IS IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.

KEEPING HER FAMILY HEALTHY ISN'T EASY.

>> IT'S SCARY KNOWING YOU HAVE A LITTLE ONE.

OBVIOUSLY I CAN GO WITHOUT