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Metro Creative Connection

SOTS: $25 million to continue programs through 'Nourish NY' initiative

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Mon, Jan 18th 2021 01:05 pm

No New Yorker should go hungry

Continues commitment to purchase goods from New York farmers & producers

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced $25 million to continue programs through the “Nourish NY” initiative, as part of his 2021 State of the State agenda.

Cuomo will continue supporting the Nourish NY initiative to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry, continues commitment to purchase goods from state farmers and producers, protect the stability of the agricultural economy, and help ensure residents continue to access local nutritious foods. As of Dec. 1, Nourish NY has resulted in $26.4 million in purchases for 17 million pounds of food. More than 1 million households have received New York state products through food distributions, and more than 4,000 farms have benefitted from the initiative.

"During this painful year, far too many New York families are experiencing food instability and hunger at a time when social services and community providers are stretched thin,” Cuomo said. "New York state has long prioritized ending food insecurity and delivering healthy, fresh food to all New York families, through programs such as the Farm to Food Bank tax credit and the ‘No Student Goes Hungry’ campaign, and we will continue to support the Nourish NY program to ensure the resiliency of our food system and that all families in New York retain access to healthy, locally grown food."

Cuomo has made the mitigation of food insecurity and the resiliency of agriculture a priority. As of 2018, he established the Farm to Food Bank tax credit that compensates producers for the donation of fresh food to the emergency food system. In 2018, the governor launched the “No Student Goes Hungry” campaign that resulted in the establishment of food pantries on every SUNY campus and increased the grant funding available for the farm-to-school program which facilitates the direct purchase of New York products for school meal programs.

A press release stated, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers experienced a drastic supply chain shift, which resulted in the loss of markets and income and in the waste of fresh surplus foods, particularly fluid milk. Simultaneously, the demand for food through emergency food providers escalated across the state. Seeing the opportunity to feed residents and aid farmers, the governor launched the Nourish NY initiative. This initiative provided $35 million in funds for the purchase of foods grown, raised or processed in New York state, and has served as an important alternative revenue stream for farmers and dairy processors during the pandemic.”

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