by Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank, a not-for-profit organization that collects donated food from the food industry and distributes it to more than 1,000 partners feeding our neighbors in need in 23 counties of northeastern New York.
Right now, one in seven children in the Hudson Valley are going hungry. That’s 23,636 kids who don’t have access to the food they need to thrive. These children are going to bed with an empty stomach, struggling to concentrate in school, or missing out on the joy of simply being a kid—all because there’s not enough to eat. We’re not just failing these children today; we’re putting the future of our entire region at risk.
The recent ‘Map the Meal Gap’ report issued by Feeding America highlights what we at the Regional Food Bank have been witnessing over the past several years: more families than ever are in need of assistance.
More than 355,000 people, 12.2 percent of the population in the Regional Food Bank’s 23-county service area, are food insecure, meaning that they don’t always know where they will find their next meal. A staggering 15.4 percent of children in the region experience food insecurity. The new data shows that food insecurity continues to grow with an additional 23,210 individuals in the Regional Food Bank’s service area.
The numbers are alarming, but they confirm what our thousands of partners and volunteers see every day in our communities. The meal gap is increasing, despite our best efforts. Neighbors in need are being forced to make hard choices between household expenses – rent, electricity, childcare, transportation, and health care bills. Mostly, they have had to choose to buy less food.
In six Hudson Valley counties (Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan and Putnam) served by the Regional Food Bank, the “meal gap” – the number of meals that food-insecure households miss over the period of a year – grew from 154,060 to 165,450 people between 2022 and 2023.
We know from a variety of studies that childhood hunger affects their ability to learn, can stunt their physical and emotional development, and impact their employability as adults. This is not only a right now problem, this is a long-term issue that will take time to solve.
In order to meet this growing need, the Regional Food Bank is expanding. We built a new distribution center in Orange County and expanded our staff and programs. We are working with local farmers and producers to access healthy foods grown in the region. We are “rescuing” more food with support from our retail partners and identifying innovative ways to address federal cuts at a time of rising costs. We are working with business and community leaders to raise additional funds to meet the challenge.
Food insecurity impacts every neighborhood in every community. Our team, partners, and supporters are resilient, and we are committed at this critical time to ensure we are feeding our food insecure neighbors. Unfortunately, the increase in food insecurity is coming at a time when so many struggle to afford the high cost of groceries, including families with children and other vulnerable people with low incomes.
The federal government is cutting the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) that will reduce the availability of food to individuals in need in the region. The Food Bank expects to lose 200 tractor-trailers delivering an estimated 8 million pounds of produce, dairy products and other food because of the $1 billion cuts in the TEFAP program announced nationally by the USDA.
Last year, we received over 400 tractor trailers of food from the USDA. This year, 27 of those trailers—954,000 pounds of food—have already been cancelled. These cuts represent a 49% reduction in TEFAP food supply, potentially resulting in 2 million fewer meals for local families. Much of the lost inventory includes nutritious staples like fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly food stamps, is also facing severe cuts. SNAP is a critical resource for children, seniors, and adults with disabilities across our region, many of whom live on low, modest, or fixed incomes.
Food insecurity is not a fringe issue. It’s a national crisis that impacts economic stability, public health, and equity, including right here in the Hudson Valley. If we remain silent, the consequences will be profound and far-reaching.
We urge people to contact your members of Congress and demand action. This is not about politics. It’s about our neighbors in need.
Hunger doesn’t wait. Neither can we.
We must stand together to protect the basic human right to food. Our neighbors are counting on us. Our future demands it.
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