Contact: Johanna Elsemore, jelsemore@strength.org
January 17, 2021
NEW YORK, NY – As part of the 2021 State of the State agenda, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) announced $25 million to continue programs through Nourish NY, an initiative to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry. The announcement followed a series of four virtual State of the State addresses, in which the governor shared an overview of the state’s legislative and budget priorities for the fiscal year.
The following is a statement from No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella:
“Although significant progress has been made in tackling the coronavirus crisis, millions of New Yorkers and their families continue to face financial hardships, resulting in unprecedented rates of unemployment, poverty and hunger. We commend the commitment Governor Cuomo made in this year’s State of the State agenda to continue to prioritize Nourish NY. Farmers and food banks have worked tirelessly throughout this crisis to support New Yorkers struggling with hunger.
The coronavirus crisis has ripped a giant hole in the American economy. Today, 17 million kids could face hunger as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including more than 1 million right here in New York. It’s critical we ensure that needs of children and families are met this year as our state begins the long process of recovery and rebuilding.
With the right policies, New York can lead the country in combating rising hunger during the pandemic and making lasting change that ensures that no New Yorker faces hunger in the future. In the coming year, No Kid Hungry will focus on opportunities to:
- Strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by expanding outreach and application assistance, streamlining enrollment and establishing a Restaurant Meals Program to expand access for vulnerable New Yorkers while supporting struggling restaurants.
- Increase participation in School Meals by encouraging schools to elect the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and providing flexibilities to the Farm to School Grant that ensure access to fresh, healthy foods.
- Expand access to Summer Meals by increasing the number of meal sites throughout the state and awareness of programs.
We look forward to learning more as additional details and the Governor’s budget are released in the days to come. We look forward to working with the Governor and with elected officials across the state to ensure all kids have the nutrition they need to thrive and parents have the resources to feed their families.”
No Kid Hungry New York’s full policy agenda is available here.