NYC food bank operator cries for more funding amid worsening food insecurity

NEW YORK, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Food Bank for New York City, the largest hunger relief organization in the megacity, on Monday urged Congress to significantly raise funding allocation as it saw a big increase in demand for its service in the last few years.

The organization is now asking Congress to increase its budget in the Farm Bill, which covers farm insurance, conservation, and nutrition assistance, and requires more grants for infrastructure and storage, said Carmen Boon, vice president for external affairs with Food Bank for NYC in a press briefing.

In particular, it urged lawmakers to double its annual baseline funding under The Emergency Food Assistance Program to 500 million U.S. dollars in the Farm Bill, according to a statement of priorities by Food Bank for NYC for reauthorization of the bill.

The number of visits to member agencies of the organization increased by 94 percent from 2019 to 2024, said Zanita Tisdale, vice president of agency and organizational impact with Food Bank for NYC.

Food Bank for NYC distributed 109 million pounds of food in 2023 up from 69 million pounds in 2019, which is really indicative of the needs of community members, according to Tisdale.

She attributed increasing funding constraints to high inflation, the influx of immigrants, diet-related illness, income disparities, and other issues.

"One dollar does not stretch in the same way that it stretched three or four years ago ... Not only is the cost of food increasing, the cost of living is very high," said Tisdale, adding that wage growth is not moving at the comparable rate of inflation, which has a significant impact on food banks as well.

One in four children in NYC and 1.3 million New Yorkers are facing food insecurity this holiday season, the food bank noted, adding that it aims to provide 40 million meals, including up to 20,000 turkeys to those in need.