LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some Louisville food banks are turning people away because there's not enough food to go around.
"There's no food," Pamela Rucker said. "I'm having a hard time trying to feed myself and my grandbaby."
Rucker is just one of the thousands of Louisvillians who rely on food banks to get by.
Once a month, she loads up on bread, canned goods, and vegetables to feed her family at Neighborhood House. However, Rucker said, recently, she's only been able to fill one grocery bag.
"There's no food," Rucker said. "It's going to be devastating out here."
The food that's supposed to stock Neighborhood House's shelves comes from Dare to Care, Kentuckiana's largest hunger relief network. In May 2025, CEO Vincent James warned that if the Big Beautiful Bill went into effect it would slash the food bank's federal finding.
Supporters of the bill believe it will make changes to benefit working class families. However, some food pantries in Louisville have said they're being forced to turn people away.
James said this comes during a record high demand for Dare to Care's resources, with 1 in 7 adults facing food insecurity in Kentucky.
"We're seeing less food going out and higher demand," James said. "Unfortunately, some of our partners are already running out of food."
James said Dare to Care supplies 90% of charitable pantries across our area. This includes many of the ones you see at hospitals, churches, and schools.
"We're only halfway through the month, and you'll see our shelves are pretty bare," Jennie Jean Davidson, Neighborhood House's Executive Director, said. "It's really hard to tell people we can't help them."
James said it helps that kids are back in the classroom because they can get free breakfast and lunches five days a week.
However, it's not the long-term solution Dare to Care needs, especially with more Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP benefit changes potentially on the way.
"We're going to continue to work hard to be able to find one," James said. "This is the time for our community to step up."
"Some of the worst of the cuts for individuals are still to come," Davidson said. "We're actually really worried that it's going to get worse."
Earlier this year, Dare to Care reported nearly two-thirds of Kentuckiana residents must choose between paying utility bills or buying food. Rucker worries not only for her family, but for every family who's struggling to put food on the table.
"We're gonna suffer," Rucker said. "It's going to hurt us in the next couple months. Christmas, Thanksgiving, the holidays are coming and there's no food in these places. We're going to have to join together and help each other survive out here."
Dare to Care has provided 22 million meals over the past year. To learn more about the nonprofit, click here.
More Local News:
Louisville honors 9/11 victims with ceremonies throughout the city
Kentucky US senator mourns Charlie Kirk, the escalation of political violence
4 more people arrested in connection to Jeffersonville shooting, police say
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
