Provo‑based Community Action Services and Food Bank (CAS) told residents it will lay off 15 employees, shorten the Provo pantry’s operating hours and close its Heber City pantry by the end of November. The cuts are intended to keep the nonprofit’s doors open heading into 2027, according to reporting by KUTV and KSL.
Jessica Miller, CAS’s chief impact officer, said the organization’s reserves have been depleted while demand for food assistance continues to rise. “We have just been using up our reserves month after month,” Miller told KPCW. She added that the nonprofit needs to raise $1.5 million by the end of 2026 to remain sustainable; community donations and pledges have so far reached nearly $250,000, per Hoodline’s coverage of KUTV’s statements.
The Provo pantry will lose seven hours of service each week, eliminating roughly 200 household appointment slots, as reported by KUTV. In the past year CAS served more than 24,000 individuals, and 134 families sought help for the first time in the most recent month, according to the same source.
CAS also announced the Heber City pantry will close by the end of November. Miller said the organization is coordinating with the Christian Center of Park City and Utah Food Bank to ensure continued resources for families in the Wasatch Back. The Christian Center of Park City runs free pantries Monday‑Friday, 11 a.m.‑4 p.m., and allows residents to visit twice a month with proof of residency, per the center’s website.
Funding shortfalls stem in part from a lost federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Utah’s Department of Workforce Services did not select CAS’s Circles USA program for the grant, which previously provided about $1 million over three years. Additionally, some grants reimburse CAS only after the nonprofit has already paid out assistance, creating a cash‑flow bind, as noted by KUTV.
There is some conflicting reporting on the Heber pantry’s status. The Tribune’s July story said CAS had already ceased Heber operations after losing funding, while recent KUTV coverage indicates the pantry remains open but will close in November. CAS has not clarified the discrepancy.
Despite the cuts, CAS’s housing assistance programs will continue for Wasatch Back families, and the organization has received grant funding for rental assistance in Summit County, according to KPCW. The nonprofit also previously closed its Springville pantry a year ago after the space was repurposed, a move that had helped hundreds of families each month, KSL reported.
Statewide, food insecurity remains a pressing issue. The Utah Food Bank estimates 445,000 Utahns, including one in five children, are experiencing food insecurity, an increase of nearly 100,000 people in a single year. In Utah County, an estimated 87,320 residents (12.8% of the population) were food insecure in 2023, according to a county food access profile.
What’s next: CAS aims to raise the remaining $1.5 million by the end of 2026. Community members can volunteer at the Provo pantry or donate through the organization’s website. Residents of Heber Valley are encouraged to seek assistance at the Christian Center of Park City once the pantry closes in November.
Sources: kpcw.org, hoodline.com
