March 2025 Newsletter

Sign-On to Support Hunger-Relief in New York State!

There is still time to sign our petition urging Governor Hochul and state lawmakers to fully fund critical food access programs for children, seniors, individuals, and families across New York.

Sign the Petition!

Federal Update

Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA)

I wanted to provide a quick update on a program that has been receiving a lot of media attention. We were notified on Friday, March 7, that a federal program through USDA called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA), which in New York is called New York Food for New York Families (NYF NYF), would not be continued after the current funding period ends in August. The Food Bank is one of the award recipients for the current funding cycle, but had not yet had the opportunity to apply for the LFPA25 funds that were cancelled. So, while technically we did not lose funds, this means that those dollars will not be available for us to apply for. Our strategy has been, and will continue to be, to work with our elected officials to create a permanent program like LFPA in the next farm bill.

Budget Reconciliation

The House and Senate have moved forward with the budget reconciliation process and passed budget resolutions, the first step of that process. The House budget resolution directs the Agriculture Committee to identify $230 billion in cuts, while the Senate’s resolution calls for $1 billion in agriculture spending cuts. SNAP is particularly vulnerable as a target for these cuts. We will keep advocating to protect the programs that put food on the tables of our neighbors in need, and will share opportunities to advocate against cuts to nutrition programs as lawmakers work on these proposals.

Advocacy Resources

New resources available!

We want to share the updated district maps reflecting the current legislative districts that overlap with the Food Bank’s service area. We also have a poster that you can print out and have on hand at your agency encouraging neighbors to sign the Feeding New York State budget petition. Use the buttons below to access these resources.

Advocacy Newsletter Archive

Assembly District Map

Congressional District Map

Senate District Map

Click-to-Action Printout

State Update

We’re in the homestretch for the New York State Budget, which is due by April 1. We need to continue our advocacy efforts and engagement with lawmakers as final negotiations are underway. As an update, the Senate and Assembly released their budget bills last week. Both included increased funding for HPNAP and Nourish NY at our requested amount of $75 million each, as well as funding for universal school meals. The Senate bill includes funding to increase the minimum SNAP benefit to $50/month (our ask is $100/month), however, this is not included in the Assembly bill. Please continue to promote the click-to-action to send a message to your lawmakers about the importance of funding these programs, and if you have not completed this yourself, there is still time.

Stay tuned for an action alert next week to participate in one last push as part of the statewide Anti-Hunger Week of Action, where we’re hoping to drive phone calls to leadership and Governor Hochul. I will provide you with phone numbers and a script to make calls to ensure state leaders hear from our network.

Sign the Petition!

Click-to-Action Printout

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter! I want to make sure this is a helpful resource for you, so please let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the future or if you have any feedback.

In partnership,

Becky Lare

Director of Government Relations

Food Bank Contacts:

(315) 437-1899 or (800) 444-1562

Director of Government of Relations: Becky Lare, (315) 437-1899 ext. 246