Even before the Free Food and Many Blessings Food Pantry in Grand Island starts distributing food in the morning, coordinator Jim Elrod said, people are lined up outside its doors. It typically stays that way until the pantry shuts down operations for the day.

Last year, the pantry distributed roughly 109,000 pounds of food to the community, and Elrod said the need appears to be increasing. 

But many Nebraskans seeking assistance soon may be cut off from a critical source of donated food if the state adopts proposed federal guidelines. 

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump’s administration recommended states take steps to keep undocumented immigrants from accessing emergency food assistance provided by the federal government. The administration cited a 2025 executive order by Trump as well as a 1996 law stating that “aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs.”

The federal guidance is only a recommendation, meaning states can determine for themselves whether to create citizenship checks for the food. A spokesperson for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said the agency has not decided whether to enforce citizenship requirements.

But officials and volunteers with Nebraska food banks and pantries are already warning that such a change could be burdensome and ultimately limit the amount of food they can provide to their communities. 

“It causes that negative connotation where if you hear that the food pantry is asking about your citizenship status, it spreads like wildfire (and) people get scared,” said Belle Maldonado, coordinator of the Colfax County Food Pantry in Schuyler. “… I want people to be able to access food without this being a barrier.”

The new federal guidelines apply only to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides fruits, vegetables, meats, grains and other items to food pantries and emergency distribution sites across the nation. Food donated by individuals or community groups such as churches isn’t managed by the government and still could be distributed to everyone who seeks the help.

Since TEFAP was established in 1983, the USDA has allowed states to set program eligibility rules based on household income and residence status. People don’t have to show their IDs to get the USDA food, but in Nebraska they have to sign a form to attest to the truthfulness of the information they provide.

Already, officials in North Dakota and Wyoming say they are not planning to implement citizenship requirements to the food assistance program, while a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services said they have other priorities but will continue to explore additional “program enhancements.”

Alycia Davis, deputy director of communications for Nebraska DHHS, said the agency is gathering information to modify its plan for the food assistance program, but it’s still deciding what it will do with the federal guidance.

A total of 255 food distribution sites in Nebraska that participate in the USDA food assistance program could be affected if Nebraska decides to impose the restrictions.

Nebraska’s two food banks — Omaha-based Food Bank for the Heartland and the Food Bank of Lincoln — are responsible for distributing the USDA products to food pantries and other nonprofit agencies across the state. From there, the food is distributed to people who seek it.

Individuals who want to receive USDA emergency food in Nebraska must be residents of the state. They also have to fill out and sign a form each time they receive assistance and mark whether their gross income is less than or equal to 180% of the federal poverty level, which is $59,400 per year for a family of four. People also can qualify for TEFAP if they participate in other welfare programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Adding citizenship eligibility information to the process would place “significant strain” on the operations of the two Nebraska food banks, said Stephanie Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Heartland Food Bank. The change, she said, would make it more challenging to provide consistent access to nutritious food for the people who rely on their services.

As of July 13, Sullivan said TEFAP has supplied more than 3.8 million pounds of food to the Omaha and Lincoln food banks in fiscal year 2026, accounting for 25% of the total that has been distributed. 

The potential changes, Sullivan said, “represent yet another burden that will disproportionately impact our charitable food system and increase the already high number of Nebraskans facing hunger.”

According to Elrod in Grand Island, about 20% of his pantry’s food comes from the USDA food assistance program. He described the potential citizenship requirements as “despicable,” saying “it’s just more attempts to put a foot down on people who need help.”

Elrod also questioned whether food pantries would be held liable if they mistakenly serve an individual who wouldn’t qualify for USDA food under the potential restrictions.

In a request to respond to the concerns expressed by Nebraska food pantries, the USDA referred to their original statement, which pointed to the executive order.

Three of Nebraska’s five-member congressional delegation, all of whom are Republicans, responded to a request for comment regarding the potential citizenship changes to TEFAP.

A spokesperson for Sen. Pete Ricketts said he supports American taxpayer-funded programs serving U.S. citizens. A spokesperson for Sen. Deb Fischer said she has always supported Nebraska’s food banks, but she also supports the administration’s work “to make sure illegal immigrants are not utilizing resources meant for U.S. citizens.” Rep. Don Bacon said he trusts Nebraska DHHS to implement a thoughtful plan for TEFAP “while ensuring resources are used responsibly and benefits are protected for those in need.”

Sadi Omar Vila, a pastor at South Omaha’s San Andrés Iglesia Luterana, helped establish the San Andrés Food Pantry during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist church members in need. It quickly became a resource for the entire community.

In 2025, the pantry served almost 24,000 individuals. About 70% of the pantry’s food is provided by the USDA through the pantry’s partnership with the Food Bank for the Heartland. The rest of the food is either donated or purchased.

Vila said adding citizenship requirements to program eligibility would impact more than half of the people who use the pantry. Ending participation in the USDA food assistance program would require the pantry to seek more donations of food and money, he said.

“We’d rather keep feeding people with our resources than ask them something that is hard for them, because it is,” Vila said.

The Living Hope Food Pantry in northeast Omaha started receiving USDA emergency food assistance in March.

Charlotte Abram, a retired Methodist pastor who has assisted with the pantry since 2000, said they help a variety of individuals from around the city, many of whom have been food insecure for most of their lives.

While USDA food makes up a smaller percentage of food that they distribute compared to food that is donated or purchased, Abram said the TEFAP program has allowed them to sustain families for a longer period of time between pantry visits. The pantry generally limits visitation to once every two weeks for donated food.

With the potential citizenship requirements, Abram said there is a “huge possibility” that some people would stop using the pantry for fear of being turned away or even deported.

“We’re moving in a direction I would hope we wouldn’t move,” Abram said. “One more restriction away from being a kinder, gentler place where people in need can get their needs met without having to go through a lot of hoops.”

This wouldn’t be the first change that would impact the food security of noncitizens who live in Nebraska. In Trump’s 2025 tax and spending bill, SNAP benefits were canceled for immigrants with humanitarian protections, affecting more than 2,000 Nebraska refugees.

Changes to TEFAP would not affect “U.S. citizens and/or qualified aliens,” according to a USDA spokesperson. Under the 1996 law, qualified aliens include individuals such as refugees and asylum seekers.

In its February 2025 order, the White House said that in the decades since the passage of the 1996 law, “numerous administrations have acted to undermine the principles and limitations directed by the Congress through that law. Over the last 4 years, in particular, the prior administration repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources.” 

Lucy Lutjelusche, the director of St. Vincent de Paul Simon House in Columbus, said the lack of details surrounding potential eligibility changes to the USDA food assistance program is concerning.

Simon House operates both a traditional food pantry that offers donated food and a mobile food pantry that mainly provides USDA emergency food assistance. The mobile pantry served 1,343 individuals in June.

Although she acknowledged the importance of following regulations, Lutjelusche said food is one of the most basic necessities for any family. 

“I always tell everybody, ‘What would Jesus do? He would feed his people,’” Lutjelusche said. “There’s no parameter in that. So, if I get told that I can only service a certain group of people, Simon House will then step up to service those that don’t meet this requirement.”

This story was originally published by Flatwater Free Press, an independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories in Nebraska that matter. Read the article at: https://flatwaterfreepress.org/hungry-nebraskans-may-need-to-prove-citizenship-to-access-federally-provided-food-food-banks-fear-significant-strain/