SOUTHERN TIER, NY – On August 5, Senator Lea Webb hosted a webinar with Food Bank of the Southern Tier and Tompkins County Department of Social Services (DSS) to discuss the state of food insecurity, updates to programs such as SNAP and WIC, and available resources to mitigate the federal cuts. 

Said Senator Lea Webb, “One of the most important parts of my job is making information easily accessible to the public. In light of the continuous cuts from the federal government, I wanted to create a space for the community to hear updates about programs like WIC or SNAP while also providing other resources and support they could seek out. This year’s state budget funded programs like Universal School Meals and the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, which will both provide food support to residents statewide.” 

Said Donna Scott, Deputy Commissioner of Tompkins County Department of Social Services, “Programs like SNAP provide essential support throughout our community. Everyone deserves access to healthy, nutritious food, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The changes to SNAP eligibility are harmful and will disproportionately impact communities that are already too often overlooked, such as our veterans and those who are 55 and older.” 

Said Sarah DeFrank, Advocacy and Education Director at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, “SNAP is the first line of defense against food insecurity here in the Southern Tier and across the country. For every meal provided by the charitable food network, SNAP provides nine. Food banks cannot fill a gap of that size. It is critical that we understand SNAP’s impact and work together to protect this essential program for the people and families who rely on it.”

The FY27 Enacted State Budget funded critical programs that fight against food insecurity. For example, the budget includes $395 million for Universal School Meals, an increase of $55 million over the current school year; $72.8 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), a $15 million increase from last year’s budget; $55 million for Nourish New York; $8.7 million for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP); $2 million for Double Up Food Bucks; $10 million for Providing Local Access to Essential Substances (PLATES), a new program that provides capital grants to eligible Food Banks, Emergency Food Programs, and municipalities providing food relief services within New York’s 10 regional food bank territories; and $150,000 for Cornell Cooperative Extension - Bridging the Upstate-Downstate Food Network Divide. The FY27 budget also increases the maximum Farm Food Donation Credit from $5,000 to $20,000 starting this tax year. 

For those who were unable to attend, a full recording of the webinar is available on YouTube. Senator Webb encourages all constituents to watch the discussion to learn more about how the federal changes are impacting residents, what New York State is doing to support our most vulnerable community members, and the state of food insecurity locally. 

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