Legislative Memorandum 

Empire Justice Center urges Governor to Sign Critical Anti-Hunger Bill

Increase Food Assistance to Low Income New Yorkers
A.6453a (Ortiz) / S.6196a (Schneiderman)

Empire Justice Center writes in strong support of A.6453a/S.6196a, and we encourage the Governor to sign this bill into law.

This critical bill directs the commissioner of education, in cooperation with the commissioner of health, to facilitate a program to coordinate the donation of excess unused edible food from schools’, universities’ or other educational  institutions’ meal programs to voluntary food assistance programs; such may be allowed under applicable federal and state laws.

Hunger, an acute problem in NYS, has worsened during the recession. Three million New Yorkers use such programs on an annual basis - but the demand for assistance exceeds the amount of food available. Nearly 2 million school lunches and breakfasts are served every day in New York State. The NYC school food system is the second largest institutional purchaser of food in the US according to the Mayor's Office of Food Policy.

This bill’s proposed addition to similar gleaning programs endorsed by the USDA would represent a very substantial support for many of the 3,000+ food providers who are struggling to keep up with demand levels that have gone up (in many places) over 50% in two short years.

It is a shame that food purchased with our tax dollars is being discarded by our schools when so many families are going hungry. We already collect such perishable food from restaurants, fundraising dinners, corporate lunchrooms and even airlines.

As this donation system would cost the state little or nothing and help address a critical need for children and families who are going hungry at this difficult time, we urge the Governor to sign this bill.

07/01/10