STATE PRIORITIES

Feeding New York State is the state association of Feeding America-affiliated food banks. Our ten members work to support the nearly 3 million New Yorkers experiencing hunger and food insecurity, distributing hundreds of millions of pounds each year in partnership with nearly 5,000 community-based organizations.

Healthy food is a basic human right.

Guided by this understanding, Feeding New York State advocates for public policy that both supports the immediate needs of struggling New Yorkers and addresses upstream causes of hunger and food insecurity.

Our association calls on the NYS Governor & Legislature to:

ADEQUATELY FUND NYS ANTI-HUNGER PROGRAMS

FUND THE HUNGER PREVENTION AND NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (HPNAP) AT $64M

New York’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) supports food banks, food pantries, emergency shelters, and other community-based organizations by providing funding for healthy food procurement, operational expenses, transportation, and distribution.

Due to the expiration of federal pandemic-era aid and the rising cost of living, all of our member food banks have reported longer lines at food distributions. HPNAP funding helps to fill the gap created by these circumstances.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to allocate $64M for HPNAP in the 2024-2025 New York State Budget.

SUPPORT NOURISH NEW YORK (NNY) AT $75M

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers stepped up by creating Nourish New York (NNY), a nationally recognized program that connects hungry families with healthy food. NNY provides funding to food banks and food relief organizations to purchase directly from New York-based farmers and producers.

Since its inception, over $150 million has been allocated to the program – to the benefit of over 4,000 New York-based farmers, food hubs, and other businesses. Nourish New York equips emergency food providers with healthy food including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins while enhancing the availability of halal, kosher, and culturally relevant food options.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to strengthen the program by investing $75M in the 2024-2025 New York State budget.

MAINTAIN FUNDING FOR THE NUTRITION OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM (NOEP)

Nearly 3 million New Yorkers participate in SNAP. The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) helps ensure all eligible New Yorkers are aware of and able to participate in federal nutrition programs including but not limited to SNAP, WIC, CACFP, and school meals.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to support continued investment in the program to maximize the participation of eligible New Yorkers in federal nutrition programs.

INVEST IN THE WELLBEING OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND SENIORS

SUPPORT UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS (A.1941 / S.1678)

No child should ever go hungry. Providing universal school meals would feed our children, reduce bullying, and have a positive impact on children’s academic achievement and health. While the State provided $134.6 million in funding to supplement the expiration of federal aid, free and reduced lunch are still not accessible to all children across the state.
WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to invest in New York children by passing universal school meals.

RAISE THE SNAP MINIMUM BENEFIT TO $100/mo (A.6214 / S. 7663)

The current SNAP minimum benefit of $23 a month is inadequate for low-income New Yorkers. Amounting to less than a dollar a day, the SNAP minimum benefit fails to account for New York’s true cost of living.

Raising the minimum monthly benefit to $100 will benefit nearly 110,000 households, enabling families to better afford groceries and stimulating local economies across the state.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to strengthen SNAP by raising the minimum benefit to $100/mo.

SUPPORT THE WORKING FAMILIES TAX CREDIT (A.4022 / S.277)

The Working Families Tax Credit would lift New York children out of poverty by providing families with a tax credit of $1,500 per child, paid out on a quarterly basis. The proposal is modeled off the 2021 federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion, which cut child poverty rates by over 40%.

Unfortunately, when the expanded CTC expired in 2022, child poverty more than doubled according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The Working Families Tax Credit would reduce child poverty and help families afford their basic needs.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to reduce child poverty by passing the Working Families Tax Credit.

BUILD EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

SUPPORT THE GOOD FOOD NY BILL (A.7264 / S.6955)

Municipal food procurement law in New York requires municipal institutions – schools, hospitals, shelters, etc. – to choose the “lowest responsible bidder” when purchasing food. Unfortunately, this requirement fails to account for factors such as environmental sustainability, racial equity, fair labor practices, local economies, nutrition quality, and animal welfare.

The Good Food NY bill would give municipal institutions the option to engage in values-based food procurement.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to pass the Good Food NY bill and help communities leverage their purchasing power.

SUPPORT A TASK FORCE TO STUDY STATE-FUNDED SNAP FOR EXCLUDED IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS (A.5933/ S.7692)

Lawfully present immigrant populations are excluded from receiving SNAP benefits. Despite the fact that immigrants pay taxes and contribute to our state’s economy, immigrant families experience disproportionally high levels of food insecurity and economic hardship.

It is critical that New York State steps up to take care of our immigrant communities. By establishing a task force to study the feasibility and impact of a state-funded nutrition assistance program for excluded New Yorkers, our state could play a leading role in food security for immigrant communities.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to support our immigrant populations by establishing a task force to study state-funded SNAP.

SUPPORT A SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD STUDY (A.1539 / S.2143)

The federal poverty line of $14,580 for a single earner is an inaccurate measure of the true cost of living. Here in New York, the cost of living is 24% higher than the national average, according to the Economic Research Institute. To capture the real cost of living in New York, we need to create a self-sufficiency standard.

Creating a self-sufficiency standard study will measure the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs and determine effective ways to allocate resources to give New Yorkers living wage jobs, enhanced education, job training, and skills development programs.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to support a self-sufficiency standard study to give New Yorkers the tools they need.

SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HUMAN SERVICES EMPLOYEE WAGE BOARD (A.3329 / S.4675)

Human service workers are often unable to afford their basic needs. By establishing a wage board to recommend adequate minimum wages for human services employees, New York can take the lead in guaranteeing living wages for all of our essential workers.

WE CALL ON NEW YORK STATE to establish a wage board to recommend adequate minimum wages for human service employees.