LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Community organizations in Louisville say they are seeing a growing need for food assistance as some immigrant families face challenges accessing federal benefits.
What You Need To Know
Louisville groups say more immigrant families need food assistance but face barriers to federal benefits.
Feed Louisville rescues food from more than 200 producers and distributes thousands of meals each day through frontline partners.
The Solidarity Project began with teachers delivering food to students’ families who were afraid to leave home due to immigration concerns.
Volunteers are expanding distribution through schools and churches to reach families who may hesitate to seek help.
Leaders at Feed Louisville say their team distributes thousands of meals every day while working to address food insecurity across the city.
Founder and Executive Director Rhona Kamar said the organization not only provides meals but also rescues food through partnerships with more than 200 food producers and distributes those resources to local feeding organizations.
“The work we do every day is hunger relief work, and we also do food rescue,” Kamar said. “So we’re a hub for resources. We’re able to find all these resources from the community through our partnerships with 200-plus food producers and bring those resources here and then get them out through a network of basically frontline feeding organizations.”
Recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have limited eligibility for many legal immigrants. Only certain groups, including Cuban or Haitian lawful permanent residents with at least five years of residency and residents under the Compact of Free Association, remain eligible.
Kamar said those changes, combined with growing fear within immigrant communities, are making it harder for some families to access food.
“Right now, there’s such an increase in fear among our immigrant community,” Kamar said. “There’s a fear of leaving our homes, fear of going to grocery stores, and even a fear of using food pantries. So the need for direct service is greater than ever.”
To reach those families, Feed Louisville is partnering with community groups such as the Solidarity Project. The initiative began with a group of high school teachers who noticed that some of their students’ families were struggling to access food.
Volunteers started delivering groceries and meals after learning that some immigrant families were afraid to leave their homes because of concerns about immigration enforcement.
“Food is how we can take care of each other in a time like this,” said Kate Albrecht-Snow, a volunteer with the Solidarity Project. “By making sure that basic needs are met, we’re helping kids do well in school. We’re helping families make ends meet and hopefully buying them some time and space and energy to find another way.”
In the summer of 2025, volunteers delivered supplies door to door. Organizers say they are now expanding their work by distributing food through schools and churches to reach more families.
“Working in solidarity with each other, listening to the communities who need the assistance, finding out what they need and working with them as partners gives us all a sense of purpose,” Albrecht-Snow said. “It brings us all together in a way that I think can help us get through whatever is happening right now.”
Leaders at Feed Louisville say partnerships like this are essential to ensuring families who may hesitate to seek help still have access to food and other basic resources.
Leave a Comment