Queens lawmakers urge NY to boost funding for farm-to-city food program

Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal has asked Speaker Carl Heastie to seek more state funding for a program that delivers food from upstate farms to New York City residents in need. Photo via Assembly

By David Brand

A pair of Queens lawmakers are urging Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to seek more state funding for a program that delivers food from upstate farms to New York City residents in need.

The Nourish New York initiative has enabled 4,000 farms to deliver more than 17 million pounds of food to social services agencies, warehouses and other sites fighting food insecurity across the state. 

Assemblymembers Daniel Rosenthal and Catalina Cruz sent a letter to Heastie asking that he seek a $50 million allocation for the program — double the sum proposed in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget. More than four dozen colleagues signed onto the demand from Rosenthal and Cruz.

“Now more than ever, addressing food insecurity requires all the resources our state has to offer,” said Rosenthal, chair of the Assembly Task Force Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy.

Cruz has sponsored a bill to codify consistent Nourish NY funding. She said the long lines outside Queens food pantries illustrate the need for healthy, locally sourced meat and produce. 

“At the height of the pandemic, food lines stretched for miles with no end in sight and without a permanent or sustainable product source,” she said. “As the crisis continues and food insecurity becomes more severe, we are dedicated to creating a permanent state pipeline through Nourish NY in order to put food on the table to those who need it most.”

A spokesperson for Heastie said: “The Nourish NY program is very important to our members. We will be releasing our budget proposal next month.