by Carly Rothman

As we blogged earlier in the month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has threatened to eliminate funding for the city’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) in response to proposed cuts in overall state funding — a move that would slash a critical safety net for those who can’t afford to eat.

Now the Food Bank For New York City is taking action to help preserve emergency food assistance for New York City’s most vulnerable residents.

Our advocacy page contains up-to-date information on ways members of the public can help protect this vital program, including contact information for key elected officials and talking points people can use to help convince them that cutting funding for emergency food is the wrong way to plug the city’s budget gap.

For example, EFAP represents just 0.017 percent of the city budget — a tiny amount that supports hundreds of local food pantries and soup kitchens.

And even with EFAP funding, almost half the city's soup kitchens and food pantries had to turn hungry people away last year. With local unemployment now over 10 percent, the number of people needing help is expected to grow.

What are your reasons for protecting EFAP? Share your thoughts and help spread the word!