ongressman Yakym introduces legislation to support local food pantries

 Yesterday, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) introduced the Preserving Community Food Assistance Act of 2026 (H.R. 8953). The bill enables food distributors to best serve their community by restoring their ability to request identification from individuals seeking food assistance.

“Hoosiers are generous by nature, but that charity should not be abused,” Rep. Yakym said. This commonsense bill restores flexibility for local food pantries to effectively manage limited resources and continue serving individuals and families in need. We should be empowering local organizations — not making it harder for them to carry out their mission.”

The legislation is supported by several food assistance organizations within Indiana’s Second District, including MAC Food Pantry in Mishawaka and Hearts United for Bristol (HUB) Food Pantry.

“Requiring identification previously allowed us to ensure food assistance was distributed fairly and according to program guidelines,” Kristi York, Director of MAC Food Pantry in Mishawaka said. “Since the implementation of the new guidelines, we have seen a substantial increase in individuals visiting from outside our service area, including other counties and states, as well as repeat visits from members of the same household. As a result, our resources have been depleted at a much faster rate, placing additional pressure on our volunteers, donors, and operational funding.”

“The USDA requirement that obligates our community-supported pantry to serve anyone in Indiana forced us to withdraw from USDA grocery support,” Chet Miller-Eshleman, Executive Director of the Hearts United for Bristol (HUB) Food Pantry said. “Walking alone to feed the hungry is incredibly challenging. The HUB supports efforts that would allow us to again partner with USDA to serve the poor in our local community.” 

Full bill text can be found here.

Background:

On December 30, 2024, the Biden Administration began preventing food banks and food pantries from requesting household addresses to determine eligibility for assistance, upending long-standing guidance. According to local food pantries, the policy change has made it more difficult for community organizations to effectively manage limited resources and serve the populations they were established to support.