Albany, NY – November 22, 2024 – Feeding New York State, the state association of New York’s 10 Feeding America food banks, would like to announce that we remain committed to building a society in which healthy food is guaranteed to all as a basic human right. We acknowledge that this election may significantly affect public policy at the federal level. We’d like to congratulate all New York representatives—state, local, and federal— who’ve been entrusted by voters to govern in the public interest. 

We recognize that there’s a lot of work to do, and we look forward to working with new electeds to more urgently address hunger and poverty in the years ahead. 

It is no secret that New Yorkers are struggling. Hunger and poverty rates have increased in recent years following the expiration of successful pandemic-era relief measures. Despite cutting child poverty in half in 2021, as a result of the expanded Child Tax Credit, millions of children fell back into poverty following its phaseout at the start of 2022. Expanded SNAP benefits and eligibility—which lifted roughly half a million New Yorkers out of poverty—reverted back to pre-pandemic levels despite higher food prices at the start of 2023, leading to increased need at food distributions. Instead of building off the policy successes of 2021, Congress allowed these critical initiatives to expire, reversing the historic progress that had been made. 

Feeding New York State also recognizes that there are intersecting issues that impact hunger and poverty. New York City remains the most rent-burdened metro in the nation; we also lack a system of guaranteed health care, living wages, affordable child care, and equitable education. Seniors looking to retire with dignity are also subjected to an inadequate retirement system due to rising costs yet stagnant Social Security benefits. Simply put, our public systems are failing and New Yorkers are struggling to stay afloat.

In New York State, we have the opportunity to address these issues.  We can strengthen federal nutrition programs by guaranteeing Healthy School Meals for All and ensuring all New Yorkers participating in SNAP receive at least $100 per month. We can also ensure that all New Yorkers have access to food assistance, regardless of immigration status. We can fund our innovative HPNAP and Nourish NY programs to maximize the work of food banks and other community organizations.

Beyond food and nutrition policy, we can phase out subminimum wages, establish a statewide rental subsidy program, expand our state’s Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and guarantee health coverage for all. Each of these initiatives would positively impact our most vulnerable families. We urge representatives to support these initiatives, which have been proven to reduce hunger and poverty in New York State. 

Lastly, we’d like to affirm our position that healthy food is a basic human right. No New Yorker should be without adequate food, housing, healthcare, education, and humane working conditions. We will stand against any efforts to deny such rights to New Yorkers.  

New York is the home of the New Deal, Ellis Island, and the largest, most diverse metropolitan area in the nation. We are both a leading agricultural state and a technology innovator from the days of the Erie Canal to the age of the microchip. We are proud to be New Yorkers, and when we face hardships and difficulties, we band together and ensure that our communities are taken care of. In these challenging times, we call on Congress and the New York State government—not to retreat, not to censor ourselves—but to join us in our fight. Let us seize the moment and create a New York that works for all.