We thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and the New York State Legislature for advancing a FY27 State Budget during a time of persistent food insecurity, rising food costs, and uncertainty surrounding federal nutrition programs. The budget includes important investments to strengthen food security across New York, though significant challenges remain for communities across the state.

We appreciate the State’s continued commitment to strengthening New York’s nutrition safety net through investments including:

  • $72.8 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP),
  • $8.7 million for the Nutrition Outreach & Education Program (NOEP),
  • Continued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) access and outreach efforts,
  • Support for Universal School Meals, funding to transition SNAP EBT cards to chip technology, and,
  • $10 million for a new program called NY PLATES to bolster emergency food network capacity.

These investments will help food assistance providers meet growing demand for emergency food, connect eligible households to critical benefits, and support families and individuals facing rising costs.

At the same time, we note that the final budget did not include increased funding for Nourish New York or the proposed $3 million reimbursement fund for households impacted by stolen SNAP and cash assistance benefits. Strengthening these investments remains an important opportunity to support New York farmers, regional food systems, and families and communities experiencing food insecurity, including those who have lost critical benefits through theft and fraud.

As implementation begins, we look forward to working with state leaders to address remaining gaps, ensure timely distribution of resources, monitor the impact of federal food and nutrition policy changes, protect child nutrition programs, and advance long-term solutions that strengthen food security across New York.

Signed,

Leslie Gordon

President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City

Grace Bonilla

President and CEO of United Way of New York City

Jilly Stephens

CEO of City Harvest

Share with your network!

Food Bank For New York City is NYC’s largest hunger-relief organization. For more than 40 years, we’ve been empowering every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Together with our member network of nearly 800 soup kitchens and food pantries, we provide fresh produce, culturally relevant food, SNAP assistance and nutrition education to nearly every neighborhood in all five boroughs. Learn more or get involved at foodbanknyc.org.

Media Contact

Stefanie Shuman
Director, Media Relations
sshuman@foodbanknyc.org