Two federal programs that pay Alabama farmers to grow fresh produce for school cafeterias and food banks are coming to an abrupt end. The now-canceled federal contracts poured millions of dollars into Alabama farms and put fresh foods into the hands of people who needed it.

The Heart of Alabama Food Bank, which serves over 200,000 Alabamians across 35 counties, will be hit hard with CEO Michael Coleman noting that the $600,000 loss in funding will be impossible to make up. “We’re going to need people to come alongside us and help us in this fight to a greater degree than we’ve asked in the past,” Coleman said.