Food Bank For New York City Applauds City Officials for Funding Commitments to Help End Hunger in NYC
Final Budget Negotiations Reflect Anti-Hunger Priorities, Raise Funding for Emergency Food Programs to $18.4 Million
Food Bank For New York City President and CEO Margarette Purvis issued the following statement today after Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Council came to a handshake agreement on the Fiscal Year 2018 City budget, allocating $18.4 million to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP).
“At a time when 1.5 million New Yorkers are relying on Food Bank’s programs and services, and Washington policymakers are threatening to make it even harder for individuals and families to afford basic needs, the decisions we make locally matter more than ever. Budgets make up the prioritized plan reflected in dollars and cents. The budget that Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito have negotiated for the coming fiscal year reflects values that we share.
“Every New Yorker deserves access to the healthy food needed to thrive, and no one in our great city should go hungry. On behalf of NY’s citywide network of food pantries and soup kitchens, Food Bank For New York City applauds the de Blasio administration and the City Council for increasing vital funding to supply nutritious food to food pantries and soup kitchens through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) to $18.4 million and expanding universal school meals.
“The fight to end hunger is far from over. Approximately half of all city food pantries and soup kitchens reported running out of food last year, and a third reported having to turn people away due to food shortages. A meal gap of 242 million persists. Today’s funding commitment is a strong and positive step. In the weeks and months ahead, we will need to continue to work together as a city to close this meal gap.”