Funding for a critical emergency food program to feed hungry New Yorkers will no longer be slashed in half under the budget deal Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council reached late last week.
Food pantries and some councilmembers initially balked at the Adams’ administration’s proposed reduction to the Community Food Connection program as food insecurity remains high across the five boroughs. But this fiscal year’s $112 billion budget will keep funding levels the same at $57 million for the program, which helps 700 organizations provide meals to people across the city.
Deputy Council Speaker Diana Ayala called the restored funding a win for New Yorkers struggling to feed themselves and their families.
“This was not only the right thing to do but the prudent choice given the need in our communities,” she said in a statement to Gothamist.
The Adams administration doubled funding for the Community Food Connection program after federal and state pandemic aid expired, and revamped how it worked by putting new emphasis on fresh produce. But Adams proposed reducing funding for the program as part of a series of budget cuts that he blamed on the escalating costs associated with sheltering new migrants. The program, administered by the Department of Social Services, offers a line of credit to food providers who can order food items twice a year.
Food insecurity organizations said Community Food Connection helped them weather the end of the pandemic and became a lifeline for many pantries as demand and long lines continue to persist. A report by food rescue group City Harvest this year found food pantry visits by children and their families have nearly doubled from pre-pandemic levels.
“We are thankful that the city budget protects the Community Food Connection, the primary program for supplying high quality, nutritious food to pantries and the millions of New Yorkers we serve,” said Jerome Nathaniel, director of policy and government relations at City Harvest.
“We will continue to engage with our leaders in the Council and the mayor’s office to ensure this effective program is not only protected, but strengthened,” he added.
LaNeda Mondesir, executive director of the Harding Ford Vision Food Pantry in Jamaica, Queens, also praised the restoration of funds.
“This is not just for people in shelter and low-income. We have working-class families who attend the pantry and they depend every single week on the amount of food that we support them with,” Mondesir said.
About a third of Mondesir’s pantry funding comes from the city. Mondesir said the program allows her to order more fresh fruits and vegetables or find products that meet people’s medical, cultural or religious needs. The pantry feeds 600 to 700 New Yorkers twice a week.
“We have a lot of people who have to have low-sodium diets,” she said. The program “allows us to pick up those items that we sometimes do not get from our other partners and kind of custom our distribution line.”