Our Director, Rachel Sabella, was invited to speak on two panels at the NYS Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislators Annual Legislative Conference in Albany from February 16-18, 2024. The first panel – “Addressing Food Insecurity in BIPOC Communities” – was led by one of our Hunger Heroes, Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas, and included key partners such as Andres Vives from Hunger Solutions New York, Alithia Rodriguez-Rolon from NYSUT and Dan Egan from Feeding New York State. The discussion focused on food insecurity is and how prevalent it is in communities of color as well as solutions to address including increasing SNAP benefits, expanding access to no-cost school meals and implementation of Summer EBT.
The second panel – “Supporting the Whole Child: Integrating Technology, Education, Mental Health and Food Insecurity” – was co-sponsored by Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman and Senator Jamaal Bailey. Dr. Meisha Porter of The Bronx Community Foundation (and former Chancellor of the New York City Schools) moderated the discussion that included Rachel, Sheila Duke of Roads to Success, Dr. Alethea Taylor of Hour Children, and Noderea John, from AD 58’s Mental Health Task Force. Panelists agreed communities need to come together to provide solutions and resources to children of all ages to ensure they can grow and thrive.
Both panels stressed the importance of partnerships, the need for policy solutions from all levels of government, and why New Yorkers MUST come together to support the most vulnerable – all key strategies of the No Kid Hungry campaign. It was great to interact with so many elected officials, partner organizations and advocates at Caucus Weekend who share this belief in improving services for New Yorkers. Looking forward to finding more ways for Share Our Strength to support these critical efforts in New York!