As a matter of fact, Long Island food banks and local food pantries are alarmed by the governor’s proposal which aims to cut funding for a key program that full fledgedly supports the work of these organizations state wide in order to feed hungry New Yorkers by nearly 40% in the coming fiscal year. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget proposes a sharp cutting of $22 million from the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, which will completely be wiping out last year’s funding increase and returning the program to its pre-pandemic funding level of $34.5 million. No matter how massive the cut rate sounds yet, it’s not going to be of any help while providing food and security to the ones in need.
Food bank operators across the state were advocating for an increase in funding hyping it to about $65 million to offset inflationary increases in food costs per se, Gregory May of Island Harvest said yesterday. As inflation drives food costs up, more families are now turning to local food pantries for help, Michael Haynes of Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank said yesterday. “We’ve seen the number of people accessing our community satellites increase by 58%,” Haynes said, adding that’s in line with the experience of agencies supplied by L.I. Cares and the region’s other major food bank, Island Harvest.
The Open Arms Food Pantry in Riverhead is a classic case in point. Open Arms Food Pantry director Zona Story very openly confessed that the pantry served “almost 500 new households – people who had not been to Open Arms pantry before.” The all-volunteer Open Arms pantry, which works out of space at First Baptist Church of Riverhead apparently went ahead and distributed food to 1,786 households in January, Stroy said. The distribution takes place only two days a week, for a total of 16 to 20 hours a week, she said. “The numbers just keep going up,” Stroy said. “It really is incredible and we don’t see it changing.”
May said Island Harvest’s preliminary numbers this year has quite clearly shown that, while demand is lower than it was during the peak of the pandemic, it’s still higher than it was pre-pandemic. “There’s more need now than before the pandemic,” May said. “We’re concerned that this is the new normal.” “It’s kind of like the perfect storm,” Haynes said in an interview last Tuesday. The governor’s budget proposal would also keep funding flat at $50 million for Nourish New York, a successful program that was established during the pandemic that enables farmers to get food to food banks, Haynes said. Nourish New York money goes to farms and other producers, including fishermen. “Farmers got crushed by COVID. Long Island fisherman were reeling,” Haynes said. “Over 4,000 New York farms, and millions of our hungry neighbours, have benefited from this program,” he said. Food banks state wide are calling on the state to increase this program from $50 million to $75 million in the next budget. Let’s hope for the best.
