After months of advocacy work in pursuit of state support for the emergency food system and food-insecure New Yorkers, Feeding New York State, which comprises 10 food banks — including Foodlink — released the following statement:

Feeding New York State, the state association of New York’s 10 Feeding America food banks, applauds state leaders for negotiating a budget that includes critical funding to alleviate hunger.

In recent years, New York families have been hit hard by the expiration of key federal relief measures coinciding with higher food prices. Child poverty rates more than doubled following the expiration of the expanded federal Child Tax Credit (CTC). Meanwhile, recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that food insecurity rose at the fastest one-year rate since 2008 – the first full year of the Great Recession.

The Fiscal Year 2025 New York State Budget includes additional funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish New York. Both programs support New York food banks, pantries, and community-based organizations working on the frontlines against hunger. We also thank state leaders for maintaining key investments in the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), which supports Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and application assistance in counties across the state, and the Double Up Food Bucks program. This budget invests in the following emergency food programs:

• $57.8M for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP)
• $54.3M for Nourish New York
• $5.6M for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP)
• $2M for Double Up Food Bucks NY

Taken together, funding for these programs helps maximize participation in federal nutrition programs, increase the purchasing power of SNAP, and provide a vital backstop for New Yorkers struggling to afford food. We recognize and appreciate the efforts of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature in funding statewide anti-hunger programs.

We also recognize the tireless work of our champions in the Senate and Assembly, not only in alleviating hunger but also in supporting initiatives that reduce its prevalence. The Assembly and Senate one-house proposals have included Healthy School Meals for All New York children in consecutive years. We also saw a bipartisan, broad-based coalition of lawmakers endorse a $100 SNAP minimum benefit. Both initiatives are needed to reverse the trend of rising food insecurity, and we are committed to advocating for them until they are implemented.

New York passed a budget that increases food access for hungry New Yorkers. Yet at the same time, the budget did not include popular and broadly impactful initiatives that would reduce poverty and the food insecurity rate. Millions of New Yorkers continue to struggle, and we have to do better. Our work continues until every New Yorker has healthy food guaranteed as a basic human right.

Looking ahead, we call on Governor Hochul and state lawmakers to build a state in which healthy food is guaranteed to all as a basic human right.