Foodlink monitoring government shutdown’s impact on nutrition programs
Foodlink is closely monitoring the impact of the government shutdown and will continue to provide updates about how it will affect federal nutrition programs. For now, here is what we know: SNAP: Benefits for October will be issued on schedule and without interruption, per New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. These benefits […]
Foodlink celebrates Class 9 graduates of the Foodlink Career Fellowship
Foodlink celebrated its 9th graduating class of the Foodlink Career Fellowship in style on Sept. 25, hosting the event at its new Edible Education Center at the Foodlink Community Farm on Lexington Avenue. On a beautiful fourth day of fall, the Fellowship celebrated the collective accomplishments of six Fellows: Nabria Brown, Hayden Herdklotz, Karina Martinez, […]
Foodlink’s statement in response to the USDA’s termination of food insecurity report
On Sept. 20, the USDA announced it would terminate future releases of the Household Food Security Reports — a key source for food insecurity data for more than 30 years. USDA called the report “redundant” and “politicized,” adding that “trends have remained virtually unchanged.” According to the USDA’s latest report, 13.5% of U.S. households were […]
Hunger Action Month: Food insecurity data, policy priorities, and how to get involved
September marks Hunger Action Month, an annual awareness campaign spearheaded by Feeding America and its network of 200 food banks. Keep an eye on Foodlink’s social media channels all month long for actions YOU can take to address food insecurity in our communities. Below, we encourage you to get educated on the latest food-insecurity statistics […]
2025 Foodlink Festival of Food Guide: Celebrating 20 years!
It’s almost time for the greatest local festival in all of Rochester (in our humble, opinion)! The Foodlink Festival of Food is turning 20 this year, and we hope you’re ready to celebrate a couple decades of our amazing local food and drink scene, and our mission of ending hunger and building healthier communities. We […]
Foodlink Community Kitchen caters Monroe County’s ‘Salute to Seniors’ event
The Foodlink Community Kitchen — known for producing thousands of healthy meals on a daily basis for children in the Rochester area — just executed its largest catering opportunity yet! Our kitchen team served as the main food vendor for Monroe County’s 21st annual Salute to Seniors event on August 22 at Ontario Beach Park. […]
Foodlink statement on passage of budget reconciliation bill
The following statement is attributed to Foodlink’s President & CEO, Julia Tedesco: The budget reconciliation bill passed today by Congress will slash SNAP ($200B) and Medicaid ($900B) at a time when the costs of food and healthcare remain prohibitively high. It is an unconscionable policy choice that will impact the health outcomes of […]
Our network: Food pantries, meal programs & more
Additional food-insecurity data released from annual ‘Map the Meal Gap’ report
Last month, Feeding America released its annual Map the Meal Gap report, which provides food-insecurity data for food banks across the nation. The overall food-insecurity rate in Foodlink’s 10-county service area rose from 12% in 2022, to 12.8% in 2023, according to the report. Following the initial data release, Foodlink requested additional information about food […]
Foodlink taking on role as local Diaper Bank
Foodlink announced today that it will soon take over as the local chapter for the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN). The Junior League of Rochester has led local efforts since 2018 and alerted its member organizations of the transition to Foodlink this past spring. In 2025, Foodlink began to bolster its inventory to collect and […]