Media Coverage from December 14th Capital Region and Above and Beyond Food Pantry Support
12/27/2022
Here in NYโs Capital Region, we are seeing increases in service levels and pantries are struggling. You can see stats below. We held a press conference yesterday and received some good publicity. If you are having a similar situation in your region and think the media links below would help you raise awareness in your own community through social media, please feel free to share! Or if you have media from your own region that would like to share with us, please do, so we can amplify the message!
WAMC: https://www.wamc.org/news/2022-12-14/capital-district-food-pantries-hit-by-rising-food-fuel-prices
๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
In a recent survey of our Capital Region coalition of food pantries:
โข 83% reported increases in service levels
โข 45% reported not feeling that they have adequate funding to provide services to their community
โข 48% reported not feeling that their current funding will last throughout the year
โข And 50% reported that they are not adequately able to source the products (food) that they need
More stats:
โข Gas expenses have doubled for The Food Pantries food distribution โ from $13,000 in 2021 to over $26,000 YTD October 2022
โข Amount of pounds of food/other products delivered to individual food pantries up 15% YTD
โข TFP Food Access Referral Team has already made more than 7,391 referrals for pantry service this year โ 19% increase
โข Baby formula distribution up 80% [โฆ]
People’s State of the State – Press Event
12/24/2022
Join ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ (formerly NYS CFAN/Hunger Action Network) for the ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐:
Calling attention to hunger, food and nutrition insecurity in New York State the day before the Governors State of the State, we come together to share the state of what is happening right now in New York, lived experiences, stories, and stats, along with what the Governor and the State need to do to help โ through New York State budget and programs. How can the State take action?
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ:
โข Announce The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York
โข Speakers โ Please let us know if you are interested in speaking
โข Call to action
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป:
Mon Jan 9, 2023 3:45pm โ 4:45pm (CET)
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ:
NYS Capitol Building TBD, Albany NY
๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐!
๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฃ: Angie Weber โ aweber@thefoodpantries.org
Submit quote for press release by Thursday, January 5th to aweber@thefoodpantries.org
Draft Press Release will be emailed the week before the event.
๐๐๐ง๐โ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ !
Registration is open! Religion in a Time of Crisis, Feb. 13
12/24/2022
On Monday, February 13, Labor Religion Coalition of New York State invites you to join faith leaders, both lay and clergy, from across New York State for Religion in a Time of Crisis โ a day-long convening where we will explore the possibilities and challenges of confronting the multiple crises our communities are facing. In particular, we will reflect on the rise of Christian Nationalism and our response to it, ways to connect programs that meet immediate needs to organizing and movement building, and how strengthening connections across our state can help us break down the divisions that weaken our movement. Click here to RSVP!
While the U.S. appears headed toward deepening economic crisis and continued threats to democracy, the importance of religious leaders and communities of all faiths engaging in movements for social, racial, and economic justice is increasing.
On the one hand, the moral and spiritual formation that we do in our congregations and in the public sphere is especially critical as religious extremism- particularly in the form of Christian nationalism โ has increasing sway in our culture and politics.
At the same time, many of our ministries and programs put us in direct contact with those most impacted by our unjust and unequal economic system. As we provide food, clothing, shelter, and other practical support, we see firsthand the contradiction of poverty in the midst of plenty.
Religious communitiesโ positions [โฆ]
Registration Now Open for the Global Cuisine Series from Culinary Nutrition Collaborative
12/23/2022
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ Culinary Nutrition Collaborative!
๐พ๐๐พ ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐๐ฎ๐จ!
Registration for our 3rd Annual โA Taste of Culinary Nutrition from Around the Globeโ opens TODAY! Donโt miss out on our EARLY BIRD Rate, which ends January 16th!
3๐๐
๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 16๐๐ โ ๐ด๐๐๐๐ 23๐๐
, 2023
Register HERE
Announcing our 3rd Annual virtual cook-along series focused on Global Cuisine! We will be covering 6 new food cultures, including: Southern African, Indigenous, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Nordic, and Italian. We welcome RDNs, health professionals, chefs and nutrition students to participate in a series of hands-on workshops covering a selection of food cultures from around the world through the lens of culinary nutrition. Join us as we continue to diversify our plates and our palates and most importantly, enhance our knowledge as practitioners of a diverse population.
Each session will be led by a different chef/RDN who will present important aspects of their food heritage in a cook-along style demonstration for participants (cooking along is optional). Presenters will cover key ingredients and food traditions, as well as concrete recommendations for healthy recipe modifications without compromising the cultural significance of the dish.
A ticket to this series includes registration to 6 interactive culinary workshops held weekly on Thursdays at 6-8pm ET from February 16th until March 23rd, 2023.
2023 AGENDA:
Thursday, February 16, 2023 โ Southern African Cuisine presented by Cordialis Msora-Kasago, [โฆ]
Omnibus Spending Bill Impact on Federal Nutrition Programs
12/23/2022
Hunger Solutions New York ๐ผ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ช๐๐จ ๐ผ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ช๐ข๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐๐ฃ๐, ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐พ๐ช๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐๐ฉ๐จ
Today, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill with several provisions affecting SNAP and child nutrition programs. Hunger Solutions New York applauds key victories in the bill:
โข A new, permanent Summer EBT program will provide $40 per month in food benefits to eligible children over the summer months. The bill also provides additional flexibilities for non-congregate summer meal programs in rural communities without traditional congregate sites.
โข Provisions addressing the skimming of EBT benefits will strengthen EBT card security and allow for the replacement of up to two months of benefits stolen between October 1, 2022 โ September 30, 2024.
We are grateful for the members of New Yorkโs delegation who supported Summer EBT โ a longtime priority for Hunger Solutions New York โ and a swift response to benefit skimming. In particular, we thank Senator Gillibrand for her tireless support of Summer EBT over many years and for championing a federal fix to EBT skimming, and Senator Schumer for ensuring those provisions remained on the table through difficult negotiations.
However, we are deeply troubled by the tradeoffs used to fund Summer EBT. The bill prematurely sunsets SNAP emergency allotments after February 2023, rather than continuing the allotments through the duration of the national public health emergency. It also reduces investments in Pandemic-EBT benefits for summer 2023.
These [โฆ]
Food Policy Watch (Hunter College) for the week of December 21, 2022
12/22/2022
Original Center stories, news, research studies and events for the week of December 21, 2022
Sign up for the newsletter
๐ก๐ฌ๐๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐.๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด ๐ข๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐
โข Kansas Food Tax to be Eliminated by 2025 (nycfoodpolicy.org)
โข The DC Food Policy Council (nycfoodpolicy.org)
โข ICYMI: Stealing Food When Youโre Hungry. Should It Be a Crime?
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐น๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐
๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ธ๐ด
โข Over Half of NYCโs Food Stamp Applicants Left Waiting as Staffing Shortage Deepens (City Limits)
โข SNAP Back: Stolen Benefits Would Be Repaid to Victims Under Federal Bill (The City)
โข School Facilities Pose Challenge to Mayor Adamโs Healthy School Agenda for NYC Kids (New York Daily News)
โข Hearing Addresses Rise in Food Insecurity Among Older New Yorkers (NY1)
โข Will New York City Scrap Employment at Will? (JDSupra)
โข Testimony of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander Before Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Public Rules Hearing Regarding Local Law 115 (nyc.gov)
โข Bronx Community Fridge Operation Raises Big Bucks โ and Hackles (The City)
โข New York Common Pantry Mobile Service Delivers on Community Mission (CBS)
โข Foie Gras May Not Be Banned in NYC After All, Thanks to a New Ruling (Robb Report)
โข Growing to Love New York Cityโs Soils (Gotham Gazette)
โข Eater New Yorkโs 10 Most-Read Stories of 2022 (Eater)
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด
โข Governor Hochul Announces $234 Million in Additional Food Assistance for December (ny.gov)
โข Medicaid Is a New Tool to Expand Healthy Food Access (Civil Eats)
โข For [โฆ]
United Way’s Here For Good Digest December 2022
12/20/2022
Hello and welcome to another HERE FOR GOOD digest, United Way of the Greater Capital Regionโs weekly newsletter. Weโd like to start off by wishing all of our friends and neighbors in the Jewish community a safe and happy Hannukah, which began Sunday. Please continue reading to learn about how our team and partners have been keeping busy over the past week!
๐๐๐ขโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ป
Dear friends,
As we kick off another week, let me begin by wishing everyone who celebrates a happy Hannukah. I hope the holidayโs remaining seven days and nights grant you the opportunity to spend time with the friends and family you hold dear. Last week, UWGCR and The Blake Annex had the pleasure of hosting our community partners at our annual holiday party.
President & CEO Peter Gannon and Relationship Manager Amari Duncan at UWGCRโs and The Blake Annexโs Holiday Party
The evening served as a fantastic reminder of the caring power of our community. Virtually every person in the room has helped us advance the common good and show up for the people in the Capital Region who need it most. I canโt help but feel grateful for their continued friendship and support as we look ahead to 2023.
While weโre only a couple of weeks away from closing the book on another year, our work in the community never stops. Your support [โฆ]
WIC news from Hunger Solutions New York : Remote Services & CVB Boost, Primary Caregivers Social Media Toolkit, and More
12/20/2022
๐ช๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
๐๐๐พ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐: ๐๐๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐ช๐๐ฉ & ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ค๐จt
WIC waivers, flexibilities and enhancements related to the COVID-19 pandemicโincluding remote services and the Cash Value Benefit (CVB) increaseโreduced barriers to participation and increased access to healthy food. Recent federal action has addressed these two essential, but temporary WIC flexibilities.
WIC remote services have been extended through at least mid-April 2023. As a result, WIC agencies may continue to enroll and serve participants through virtual appointments. These flexibilities are tied to the federal public health emergency (PHE). Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra, guaranteed 60-daysโ notice of the expiration of the PHE. Since WICโs waivers are in place for an additional 90 days after expiration of the PHE, WIC providers will have five-monthsโ notice between the announcement that the PHE will expire and the end of COVID-related waiver authorities.
As Congress continues to negotiate a government spending bill for federal fiscal year 2023, we remain hopeful that WICโs temporary CVB fruit and vegetable benefit bump will be extended through September 30, 2023. Temporary CVB amounts are currently set at 50 percent of the recommended intake based on guidance from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Dietary Guidelines for Americans, resulting in monthly CVB benefits of $25-49 per month each for eligible mothers and children. The benefit [โฆ]
Sign Up for the 2nd Eat the Science Workshop from Culinary Nutrition Collaboration
12/20/2022
Happy Holidays!
Registration is NOW OPEN for our second Eat the Science workshop! Our winter workshop will kick off the new year and bring the latest food and nutrition trends to life while prioritizing recipes that support heart health, featuring walnuts and the latest research. (And best of all, the workshop is free, and youโll earn 1 CPEU!)
Join us for our second Eat the Science Workshop on Wednesday, February 1st, 2023!
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ #๐ฎ:
Explore the Latest Food Trends with Heart-Healthy Walnuts*
Wednesday, 2/1 from 1:00-2:00 PM EST
DYK: Walnuts are the only nut with an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3 ALA (2.5g/oz), an essential fatty acid that may play a role in heart health? They are also certified by the American Heart Associationยฎ with the Heart-Check mark, per one ounce serving.
Our winter workshop kicks off the new year and brings the latest food trends to life through culinary application and the latest heart health research featuring walnuts โ just in time for American Heart Month. Join us to learn how to make two unique recipes with walnuts that will feature the latest heart health research and highlight how you can leverage two new food trends for 2023 in your cooking. The two trends will feature the โreinvention of retro foods through the lens of the wellness-conscious consumer and the fusion of flavors to create new onesโฆhave you heard of โswicyโ?!
Register today for the free workshop and [โฆ]
Happy Holidays from Albany Community Action Partnership (ACAP)
12/17/2022
To All of Our Supporters and Friends,
ACAP would like to wish you the happiest of holidays to you and your families and want to thank everyone who has made our work possible. Though this time of year encourages reflection and expressions of gratitude, we experience the positive impact of our work on practically a daily basis. A smile on a childโs face, an expression of relief from a customer visiting our food pantry, celebrating when someone receives a job offer after completing our certification program โ these are things we get to see every day. This season does not override the accomplishments for the whole year; they invite us to share them with you all.
Thank you for your support!
Happy Holidays!
ACAP partners with families and communities to expand opportunities and build stronger networks to foster upward economic mobility.
๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐
If you would like to support the Cohoes Food Pantry, we are currently seeking donations of shelf-stable food items and cash donations to help support more income-eligible families living in Cohoes, Watervliet, and Green Island.
For more information, call (518) 237-9201 to speak with someone at the Cohoes Outreach Office.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
ACAP is seeking passionate and motivated individuals who are interested in making a positive impact in our communities.
๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ & ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ:
โข Career Center Coordinator
โข Customer Service-Eligibility Navigator
๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ
โข
Farm School NYC December Newsletter
12/17/2022
๐พ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐
Students are halfway through the Training of Trainers course, led by Ravi Ramaswamy and Maya Stansberry, familiarizing themselves with popular education methods, learner-centered teaching, and hands-on, participatory learning. Check out our post from last month to learn more about the Training of Trainers and Popular Education frameworks.
Next, students will take our Food Justice course with Farmer Yon. Look out for an update about Hattie Carthan Community Garden soon!
๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ
Our last public course offering for this year is wrapping up. Enterprise was led by Woke Foods co-founder and FSNYC grad, Ysanet Batista, along with Choy Division Farm founder and farmer, Christina Chan. Participants covered the fundamentals of business planning, development, and management of enterprises in a local food system while looking at various enterprise models and envisioning to plan their own. Figuring out the first steps in their ventures will help participants create healthy systems that allow their projects to thrive with longevity.
๐ผ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐
Farm School NYC students attended The Future of Food Symposium last month. The Columbia Climate School hosted this conference. Geography2050 and the American Geographical Society funded 15 spaces so FSNYC community members could be present. They also connected students to resource networks beyond the conference. In discussing the Future of Food, it is imperative to highlight and create space for BIPOC. We appreciate the coordination and generosity of AGS and hope universities [โฆ]