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Food pantries and emergency food providers plead for $20M from City as federal programs freeze
Summary
Food‑security providers told Council that FEMA and other federal program freezes have cut critical food assistance and urged $20 million in emergency city funding and $100 million baseline for Community Food Connection.
Food security groups told the City Council they are already feeling the effects of frozen federal programs and asked the Council for emergency city funding to stabilize emergency food distribution.
Andrew Rhine, the Citizens Budget Commission, and multiple food providers described sudden interruptions to federal streams. Joseph Rosenberg said Catholic Charities lost federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) and other reimbursements that together have reduced its purchasing ability. Melanie Samuels of the Campaign Against Hunger said a FEMA and Department of Homeland Security freeze on a shelter and service program award removed $1.3 million in funding to her organization that had been earmarked for migrant family food distribution.
Hannah Lupien of Met Council requested a $20 million emergency city allocation for food pantries and asked the Council to baseline Community Food Connection at $100 million to ensure culturally‑appropriate food for religiously observant New Yorkers. “These cuts directly impact our ability to serve New Yorkers the foods that meet their needs,” Lupien said, pointing to local programs that supply kosher and halal food and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and Emergency Food Assistance Program administered through state and federal channels.
Nut graf: Providers said federal program disruptions — EFSP, TFAP, emergency food purchase programs — are already constraining pantry capacity and that city funding would be required to prevent widespread shortfalls in emergency food supply, especially for communities needing religiously appropriate dietary options.
Council members heard that the profile of pantry users is changing: more working families, students and newly arrived migrants are seeking assistance. Providers urged the city to expedite payments to nonprofits and consider direct cash transfers to vulnerable households as a complement to food distribution.
Ending: Several witnesses asked specifically for $20 million in immediate city funds for pantries and for the city to baseline Community Food Connection at $100 million; Council members said they would consider emergency allocations in the upcoming budget process.
