by Carly Rothman

Food Bank For New York City and our network of food assistance programs have been on high alert since Mayor Bloomberg proposed cutting all funding to the city’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) — the second largest source of food for the people we serve.

The cut first appeared in January, in the city’s Contingency Plan for Proposed State Budget Reductions. Although it was later excluded from the Mayor’s Executive Budget, the budget process is not over. And with the number of New Yorkers needing emergency food at crisis levels, the status quo is not enough.

Funding for the EFAP program, which represents just 0.017 percent of the city budget, has not increased since 2003. Meanwhile, unemployment skyrocketed and food prices rose dramatically.

When food prices rise, the same dollar buys less food. For this reason, EFAP lost 20 percent of its buying power during a time when need reached crisis levels. Last year 93 percent of New York City soup kitchens and food pantries reported an increase in first-time clients — and nearly half were forced to turn people away after running out of food.

The situation would have been even worse without the generosity of private donors and an influx of federal stimulus funds, which sustained many soup kitchens and food pantries during those dark months. But this year the stimulus funding is gone, state budget proposals are calling to slash aid for emergency food and private food donations are down from last year’s levels. Meanwhile, unemployment is still high and more than 40 percent of New Yorkers continue to report difficulty affording food.

Bottom line: EFAP is providing less food at a time when more New Yorkers, including 1 in 5 children, need it most. Expanding EFAP by at least $3 million would regain buying power lost to inflation and help protect the thousands of New Yorkers who won’t have money for food this year.

Please join us in urging City Hall to lead the charge against local food poverty by securing sufficient funds for New Yorker’s basic food needs — contact our legislators today!

Read our NYC Hunger Experience 2009 report for further information about hunger in New York City, and visit our advocacy page for more actions that can make a difference for New Yorkers in need.