Briefs

Nourish New York program has distributed 100 million meals

December 24, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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ALBANY — THE NOURISH NEW YORK program has distributed 100 million meals to families across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Dec. 24. The initiative, which was launched as an emergency relief program during the pandemic, connects families in need across the state with surplus agricultural products grown at New York farms. Hochul codified the program into state law in November 2021. The Nourish New York initiative reroutes New York’s surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them most through the state’s food banks. Launched in May 2020 as an emergency relief program during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program also provided much-needed support for the food producers and farmers who lost markets due to the pandemic. Nourish New York allows the state’s food banks to buy agricultural products directly from New York farmers and food processors. The program provides the funding directly to the state’s emergency food providers to help them buy surplus products from the state’s farmers and producers and distribute them to New York consumers, at drive-through food distributions, and through food box and school meal programs.

This week, Hochul also signed legislation A.9259/S.8690, which expands the definition of surplus agricultural products and processed products for the purposes of the Nourish New York program to include whole milk, 2% fat milk and other milk products. Brooklyn Assemblymember Lester Chang (R-49) was a co-sponsor of this bipartisan bill.