Foodlink’s Advocacy Committee is urging the public to voice their support for increased funding for the emergency food system in this year’s state budget.
Food banks across the state are united in their request for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish NY to be funded at $75 million each. It is widely expected that when SNAP enrollment is reduced in 2026 due to eligibility and work requirement changes mandated by HR1 — food pantries and meal programs across the state will see an increase in demand for food assistance.
PETITION: PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT TODAY!
Foodlink collects monthly statistics from hundreds of area food pantries and meal programs — a strong indicator of need in our 10-county service area. In 2022 and 2023, our network recorded just over 1.3 million visits. In 2024, that number increased to 1.8 million — a startling 40% jump. New data from December showed little change from the year prior. In other words, the need did not regress to what it was before a massive spike in 2024. It stayed level at more than 1.8 million visits for the 2025 calendar year.
Foodlink’s Advocacy Committee visited Albany on Jan. 28 as part of a statewide anti-hunger Lobby Day. There, they met with several elected leaders that represent urban and rural parts of our service area to reinforce our request for this year’s state budget, which is typically finalized by April 1.
- HPNAP provides essential funding for food banks, pantries, shelters, and community organizations to purchase and distribute nutritious, cost-effective food to their communities. The program also covers operational costs, ensuring that service providers have the necessary capacity and infrastructure to effectively distribute food within communities.
- Nourish New York provides funding that allows emergency food providers to distribute healthy, fresh produce and dairy out to communities, doing so through direct purchases to over 4,000 New York-based farmers, producers, and food vendors. The program is a direct investment in New York agriculture, provides opportunities to get culturally relevant foods out to communities, and has served as a national model for statewide agriculture support programs.
When Gov. Kathy Hochul released her Executive Budget a few weeks ago, it included HPNAP at $72.8M and Nourish NY at $55M. But more is needed.
We must call on the Legislature to fully fund the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish New York at $75M each for the FY27 budget. Sign our petition today to join our efforts!
