As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York food banks have seen a dramatic increase in demand, in some regions up to 200 percent, as many New Yorkers struggle to put food on the table. At the same time, New York’s farmers and producers have been faced with their own unprecedented extreme financial difficulties. Many have lost up to 50 percent of their markets through the closure of schools and restaurants, leaving them without a place to sell their perishable products.
On July 23, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced that Foodlink has purchased 697,746 pounds of surplus food from New York farmers since the launch of Governor Cuomo’s Nourish New York initiative in early May. This includes 67,807 pounds of milk and 629,939 pounds of produce, such as apples, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, radishes, kale, chard, broccoli rabe, bok choy, spinach, summer squash, cherries, and blueberries, as of the end of last week that have been provided to thousands of households in need in Foodlink’s ten-county Finger Lakes region.
In addition, Foodlink has also implemented a voucher program in partnership with Upstate Farms to provide vouchers that people can redeem at stores for milk. So far, 54,000 vouchers have been purchased for distribution to residents in the agency’s emergency food network.
Julia Tedesco, President and CEO of Foodlink, said, “The Nourish NY initiative has allowed Foodlink to provide a wide array of healthy produce and dairy options for thousands of households in the Rochester area. We know the Finger Lakes region remains the breadbasket of New York State, and we’re thrilled to connect local farmers with families who need our help during this critical time.”
The Nourish New York initiative aims to quickly reroute New York’s surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them through the state’s food banks. The state is providing $25 million to food banks and other emergency food providers so they can buy surplus milk, yogurt, cheese, vegetables, fruit and more from New York farmers who have lost markets as a result of school and restaurant closures.
In the last eight weeks, Foodlink has held more than 100 distributions in Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. The non-profit agency has also continued to supply food pantries and distributions from other organizations throughout this time. Visit Foodlink’s website or call 2-1-1 to find upcoming distributions, locate food pantries and soup kitchens, and to learn more.
Purchases have been made directly from New York produce farms and dairy manufacturers, including Headwater Food Hub (Ontario), Kirby Farms (Brockport), Brightly Farms (Hamlin), Root Brothers Farms (Albion), Fowler Farms (Wolcott), and Hurd Orchards (Holley) in the Finger Lakes. Products were also purchased from other farms and producers, including Migliorelli Farm (Tivoli), Dagele Bros. Produce (Florida), and Chelini Farms (Williamson).
Betsy Brightly, Manager of Brightly Farms LLC, said, “When the shutdown began, we had no orders coming in. Nourish NY helped us to avoid layoffs. It also helped keep cash flow coming in and make sure that food wasn’t wasted.”
Rob Root, partner, Root Brothers Farms, said, “Nourish NY helped a lot. It put demand in the market that had been flattened. We lost all of our East Coast business. Nourish NY gave us a spring market. It has been a tremendous help.”
Larry Webster, Chief Executive Officer of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc., said, “Our cooperative’s farmer-owners are grateful to be able to participate in the Nourish NY program. The vouchers are specifically helpful, as they enable even those food banks that may not have ample refrigeration on site to provide nutrient-rich milk to families in need.”
The state has launched a new Nourish New York web page, https://agriculture.ny.gov/nourishny, to more easily connect food banks with New York’s farmers who have product available for purchase. The website allows farmers to submit product available for purchase and allows food banks to easily search for agricultural products that are in need. For more information, email NourishNY@agriculture.ny.gov.
The Nourish NY program is administered by the State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the New York State Department of Health.
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