Government Relations & Public Education

The causes of food poverty are many, and with approximately 1.3 million New Yorkers relying on emergency food, it extends to every corner of the city. Food Bank For New York City works to educate government officials at the city, state and federal levels and members of the public to enlist their support for legislation, policy and funding to fight food poverty. As one of the largest food banks in the country, the Food Bank also works with legislators and government agencies to develop new and improve existing programs that support the city's anti-hunger community and New Yorkers in need. By including community members in finding ways to combat food poverty in New York City, the Food Bank's community outreach bridges the gap between policy making and implementation.

This work is informed by our extensive body of research into the city's population accessing hunger relief, the hunger-relief community and public opinion about food poverty. This research enables the Food Bank to make informed public policy recommendations and present government bodies and members of the public with a clear picture of the state of food poverty in New York City. The Food Bank connects with legislators, government agencies, community-based organizations and other groups through:

• meetings with legislators and policy makers to discuss the conditions leading to as well as the consequences of food poverty in New York City and local legislative districts;
• providing educational materials including research reports, policy papers and newsletters upon publication;
• offering testimony to legislative bodies on topics of food poverty, ranging from obesity to funding adjustments needed to support the city's hunger safety net; and
• collaborating with governmental bodies to assist in the development of programmatic and policy improvements.

In addition, the Food Bank works to strengthen the anti-hunger community's impact on legislation and policy through collaborative efforts within the community that build dialogue, identify common goals and facilitate greater communication with governmental bodies. These efforts include:

• the Anti-Hunger Policy Platform for New York State and City 2007–2012, the product of a collective of city and state anti-hunger organizations, including emergency food programs, convened and facilitated by the Food Bank to address specific city, state and federal hunger-related government policies and programs;
• the Child Nutrition Initiative, a campaign to increase access to federal Child Nutrition Programs, including promotion of in-classroom breakfast and universal school meals in New York City public schools;
• the Borough Hunger Task Force Initiative, launched by the Food Bank in June 2005 to bring the city's hunger-relief community together on an ongoing basis to strengthen the emergency food network's ability to organize locally and develop long-term strategies for eliminating hunger; and
• the Food Bank's Annual Agency Conference, which offers our network of approximately 1,000 food assistance programs and other hunger-relief organizations an opportunity to come together to strengthen the hunger-relief community's response to food poverty through workshops covering policy, benefits and more, as well as attend a panel discussion and keynote speeches from notable members of the hunger-relief and legislative communities.

Learn how you can get involved at our Advocacy Center today! For more information on our government relations and public education work, contact Triada Stampas, Director of Government Relations & Public Education.