Ahead of Thanksgiving Holiday, Governor Hochul Announces $27.5 Million to Feed New Yorkers in Need

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $27.5 million in additional funding toward the New York State Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish New York (Nourish NY) programs. This funding will be awarded to eleven food security organizations which support a network of more than 2,600 New York State food pantries, soup kitchens and shelter sites that are particularly busy during the holiday season. Together, they will provide nearly 400 million emergency meals to assist those in need annually, while providing a boost to New York farmers.

"As families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, we know some may need a little extra help to put food on the table — that's why these investments are so critical," Governor Hochul said. "New Yorkers always help our neighbors when they're in a tough spot, and our efforts to provide food for those in need will deliver more than 400 million meals in the coming months."

Funding has been made available to the following organizations as part of an initiative partnering with the State Department of Health and the State Department of Agriculture and Markets to assist New York State residents and farmers:

• Food Bank for New York City
• Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Inc.
• FeedMore WNY, Inc.
• Catholic Charities Food Bank of the Southern Tier
• Food Bank of Central New York
• Feeding Westchester, Inc.
• Long Island Cares, Inc
• Island Harvest, LTD
• City Harvest
• United Way of New York City
• Foodlink, INC.

These organizations will distribute funding to more than 2,600 sites as sub-awards for food assistance services, or as direct allocations of additional food. This includes purchasing additional food, produced by New York State farmers, for their emergency food assistance member agencies.

Food banks will be able to use these to host food assistance activities, including popular distribution programs run during the holiday season.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, "No one deserves to go hungry. Hunger can cause stress to the body and mind and can result in malnutrition, inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression. This investment will give more New Yorkers consistent access to safe and nutritious food that can lead to better health outcomes. The Department remains committed to fighting hunger and promoting nutrition security across this State.”

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s continued support of our mission to strengthen the food system, increase the demand for New York agricultural products, and ensure food access for all New Yorkers, we have made incredible progress in connecting our farmers and our underserved communities, especially since the pandemic. The additional funding being provided to our partners at food banks across New York State today will allow them to purchase more, healthy local food to provide to our families in need and will provide a continued market for our farmers.”

Governor Hochul has made combatting food insecurity and supporting New York agriculture a priority for her administration. Under Governor Kathy Hochul’s leadership, the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets administers several programs that support increasing food and nutrition security across the State:

The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program supports a network of more than 2,600 emergency food providers who distribute healthy food and fresh produce to individuals who request assistance.

The Nourish New York Initiative, administered by the Department in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, provides funding to support the purchase and distribution of New York State grown or produced items, including dairy products and produce. Since its launch, Nourish New York has supported the purchase of over 118 million pounds of New York food products, providing a boost to New York farmers and more than 99 million meals to those in need.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) serves more than 425,000 individuals through breastfeeding support, nutrition education, supplemental nutritious food benefits, and health care referrals.

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program offers free, nutritious foods to adults aged 60 and older. Approximately 36,000 older adults participate in the program monthly. During the summer, participants receive additional benefits for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, available in New York City and Long Island. The goal is to improve the health of low-income individuals at least 60 by supplementing their diets with nutritious United States Department of Agriculture foods.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a nutrition education and meal reimbursement program that helps providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in daycare settings. The program is funded through the United States Department of Agriculture and continues New York's commitment to promote the health and well-being of its residents. All children and adults who attend childcare centers, community-based adult centers, afterschool programs, homeless shelters, and family daycare programs receive meals.

Food Access Expansion Grant Program provides $10 million to help increase food access for New Yorkers living in areas without grocery stores and without options for healthy, affordable food. It provides infrastructure funding to support the development and expansion of supermarkets, food cooperatives, permanent farm stands, and other retail food stores in underserved regions of the state while also increasing markets for New York farmers.

Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children.

FreshConnect Program and the FreshConnect Fresh2You program, which now doubles the buying power for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients at farmers' markets across New York State. The initiative provides eligible New Yorkers with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $50 per day at participating farmers’ markets, which allows families in need to purchase more healthy food, including produce, dairy, eggs and meats.

Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) promotes local producers by expanding their sales at farmers' markets and farm stands and fosters healthy communities through the consumption of locally grown foods. Eligible consumers are provided with coupons to use for fresh fruits and vegetables at the more than 700 market locations, including farmers' markets, farm stands, and mobile market stops participating in the FMNP, supplying healthy homegrown foods to communities across New York.

SNAP-Ed Funding Program, which is administered in coordination with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, aims to make local produce more available and accessible to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligible communities while sourcing local produce and providing nutrition education through Community Garden and Food Box programs.

Farm-to-School program connects schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture and improve student health. The program provides financial, technical, and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors, and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally varied meals to New York students.

The 30 Percent New York State Initiative builds on the Farm-to-School program by increasing the reimbursement schools receive for lunches from 5.9 cents per meal to 25 cents per meal for any district that ensures their school lunches are made up of at least 30 percent eligible New York produced and processed products, providing healthier meal options for students and additional markets for farmers.

State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, Chair of the Committee on Social Services said, "By securing an additional $27.5 million in funding for critical food security programs, we are helping to ease the burden on families who struggle to provide for their most basic needs. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing our most vulnerable populations and for continuing the efforts of this legislature to combat food insecurity in our communities."

Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Chair of the Committee on Children & Families said, "Food insecurity impacts people across every corner of our state, this funding will go a long way to lessen that reality and ensure no one has to wonder where, when, or how they will have their next meal. I am grateful to the Governor for her leadership on this issue and look forward to continuing to invest in the needs of everyday New Yorkers.”

In addition, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets administers the federally funded New York Food for New York Families program, providing nearly $50 million to partner food banks and food service organizations to implement projects that purchase New York-grown food products and distribute them to underserved communities. It also provides technical assistance to help growers sell into the New York Food for New York Families program.

On the Department of Health website, you can find more information on the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.