Nonprofits at Risk (5014)

Host: Jim Falk

Guests: Clarissa Clark, Government Relations Officer North Texas Texas Food Bank, and
Shirley Robinson, the Executive Director of the Texas Library Association

As federal budgets are being sharply reduced and agencies dismantled, the effects are rippling across the country—often in unexpected ways. In this program, we’re not here to debate whether the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are justified. Rather, our goal is to explore how organizations are being forced to rapidly adapt in a new landscape—one where federal funding is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Joining us today are representatives from two very different sectors: libraries and food banks. Let’s turn to them now to learn how they’re navigating what many are calling the “new normal.” To hear how the North Texas Food Bank is responding we turn to Clarissa Clark, the Government Relations Officer at the North Texas Texas Food Bank, where she has been since 2023.

Shirley Robinson is the Executive Director of the Texas Library Association, the nation’s largest state library association where she leads statewide efforts to support and advocate for libraries of all types. Severe cuts to government programs and federal grants are creating a ripple effect—impacting organizations and the people they serve.

Whether it’s someone facing food insecurity for the first time, or a neighbor seeking tax help at their local library, the consequences are real and widespread.

#5014