DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Residents in Jamestown, Ripley and Dunkirk who relied on a weekly box of free, fresh produce are now facing uncertainty after a federal program was cut.
"A lot of people come here every week, we look forward to it and now it's gonna be gone," said one resident.
Since March, the Chautauqua Grow program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has provided boxes of fresh produce to anyone in need, no questions asked. The Cornell Cooperative Extension purchased fruits and vegetables from local farmers and distributed them to community members.
"A lot of people are hungry and you know, have no money," said another resident waiting in line for assistance.
Now the program has ended as part of the administration's efforts to reduce government spending.
"This is the last day," said Bridget Majka, executive director of Chautauqua County Rural Ministry, where 200 boxes have been handed out weekly.
WATCH: 'This is the last day': Free fresh produce program in Chautauqua County ends after cuts to USDA
"I'm feeling bad for so many different people because...it's a great program," Majka said. "There's people lined up to get these boxes and they're usually gone within half an hour."
At the final distribution, people began lining up an hour before the official start time of 12:30 p.m., and by 12:50 p.m., all boxes were gone.
"So many people are going hungry," said one person in line.
"Especially seniors. Seniors really need help," another added.
Victor Leon was among the first in line for the final distribution.
"I usually get my EBT...my SNAP benefits...on the 4th, but from the 4th to the end of the month, it gets a little hectic," Leon said. "So those boxes come in handy."
Many recipients expressed concern about how they'll manage without the program.
"It's really a shame for the community. A lot of people here, this is a lot of their baseline food for the week," said one program participant.
"I'm on disability. I depend on getting some fresh food, and you know they don't increase your food stamps enough. You need to do what you can," said another resident.
Robert Raynor received the last box of the day.
"I've only come here a couple of times, you know, when I'm a little short," Raynor said. "That's bad. I wish that they had more to give out to people because there's a lot of people that need it here."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
