New York will soon find out whether our state government took a vital stand to preserve funding for emergency food, a resource that is a lifeline for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, or whether it will pit anti-hunger programs against each other to compete for the same pool of limited funds.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget eliminates dedicated funding for food at thousands of food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, one of New York's most successful anti-poverty, nutrition and social service programs, ensures that more than 3 million New Yorkers who would otherwise go hungry have a meal tonight and nutritious food at home for tomorrow.
Instead of preserving line-item funding for HPNAP, the proposed budget creates a new competitive funding pool for maternal, child health and nutrition programs — forcing emergency food to compete with programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children every year for limited dollars.
Now is not the time to cut funding for HPNAP. We estimate that even a cut of 10 percent, while small in absolute terms — especially in the scope of a $140 billion state budget — will result in the loss of approximately 1.5 million meals.
The good news is that both houses of the state Legislature proposed restoration of full line-item funding in their own budget proposals, an important step in the right direction.
But the fight isn't over. If the Legislature's recommendation isn't passed in the final budget, it will hurt food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and food banks.
New Yorkers deserve better than that.
Margarette Purvis is president and CEO for the Food Bank For New York City.
