State Health Department Announces Over 21 Million Dollars in Funding to Provide Nutritious Food to New Yorkers in Need of Food Assistance

Albany, NY -- March 10, 2006- The New York State Department of Health today announced that more than $21.4 million in funding will be awarded to 47 emergency food relief organizations throughout New York State. This funding is administered through the Department of Health's Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program and will increase the accessibility and availability of safe and nutritious food to families in New York who need food assistance.

Emergency food relief organizations assist more than 2,500 soup kitchens and food pantry sites in New York State providing more than 125 million meals every year to low income families and individuals in need of food assistance. The goal is to ensure that there is a safety net for lower income New Yorkers needing assistance with a variety of access points and a wide selection of highly nutritious foods.

Based on federal eligibility guidelines, people who are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, may be eligible for federal food assistance. Many federal food assistance programs do not have the capacity to provide immediate, emergency food assistance. As a result of these constraints, New York State depends on State level emergency food programs to assist residents.

Programs receiving this funding will expend a portion of the funding on foods aimed at preventing chronic diseases, such as low fat milk, fresh vegetables and fruits. New York is one of the first states to require emergency food relief organizations, receiving State funding, to purchase highly nutritious, and in many cases, locally grown foods. These efforts are part of the State's obesity prevention initiative.

The following New York State organizations are recipients of emergency food assistance funding:

Organization Location Amount
FOCUS-Churches of Albany, Inc.
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Inc.
Trinity Institution-Homer Perkins Center, Inc.		 Albany County $50,000
$2,343,190
$109,609
Broome County Council of Churches Broome County  $57,527
Cattaraugus Community Action, Inc Cattaraugus County $52,296
Chautauqua County Rural Ministries, Inc. Chautauqua County $86,299
Food Bank of the Southern Tier Chemung County $687,863
Delaware Opportunities, Inc. Delaware County $54,615
Food Bank of Western New York Erie County $1,422,355
Community Action Agency of Franklin County Franklin County $276,854
Foodlink, Inc. Monroe County $1,255,165
Builders for the Family and the Youth of the Diocese
Catholic Charities Community Services
Church of the Holy Apostle’s Soup Kitchen
City Harvest, Inc
Coalition for the Homeless
Food Bank of New York City
Food Change, Inc
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Inc
Just Food, Inc.
Metropolitan NY Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty
Momentum Project, Inc.
New Direction Services, Inc.
Part of the Solution
Partnership for the Homeless, Inc.
Project Hospitality, Inc.
Safe Horizon, Inc.
Salvation Army of Greater New York
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless
United Bronx Parents, Inc.
United Way of New York City
West Side Campaign Against Hunger
Yorkville Common Pantry		 New York City $150,015
$326,331
$260,437
$156,890
$242,604
$2,321,267
$664,000
$96,226
$154,468
$243,455
$156,890
$57,070
$75,000
$391,860
$112,426
$123,420
$157,394
$123,366
$67,068
$209,187
$3,884,506
$247,470
$200,000
Heart, Love & Soul, Inc. Niagara County $104,594
Food Bank of Central New York Onondaga County $1,721,573
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County
Grace Episcopal Church-The Guild of St. Margaret Soup Kitchen		 Orange County $50,000
$50,000
Capital District Community Garden's, Inc.
Commission on Economic Opportunity		 Rensselaer County $103,487
$65,122
Schenectady Inner City Ministry Schenectady County $98,424
Long Island Association for Aids Care, Inc.
Long Island Cares, Inc.		 Suffolk County $120,000
$1,207,503
Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless Sullivan County $95,180
Community Action Commission to Help the Economy, Inc. Sullivan County $153,024
Warren-Hamilton Counties AECO, Inc. Warren County $94,134
Food PATCH Westchester County $748,616
     
  Total $21,428,780