United Way of Tompkins County Partners with Food Bank of the Southern Tier

UWTC partners with Food Bank of the Southern Tier to help children in Ithaca

On February 25th at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), children in GIAC's After-School Program and UWTC volunteers from Tompkins Connect and Cornell's Food Science Department worked together to pack weekend backpacks with healthy and easy meals and snacks for children from the Ithaca City School District. For more information on the Food Bank of the Southern Tier's Backpack Program, click here.

HNPAP Legislative Alert

*** LEGISLATIVE ALERT ***

The Program

Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) funding is one of the primary sources of funding for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and its network of hunger-relief member agencies, like food pantries and soup kitchens. The Food Bank allocates HPNAP funds to cover the cost of food for member agencies as well as provides grants to help offset the cost of staffing, operations and equipment.

The Problem

On January 22, Governor Cuomo proposed a decrease in funding and a major restructuring of NYS health and anti-hunger programs. If approved, the budget would remove HPNAP as a directly funded line-item, and transition it into a “Maternal, Child Health & Nutrition” block grant category, creating potential competition among human service providers. Governor Cuomo  has proposed a $13 million overall cut to these critical programs.

Our Request     

Restore dedicated, line-item funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP)  at no less than the amount approved in fiscal year 2013 ($29 million).

HPNAP Supported Member Agencies - We Need Your Help!

Action:

Contact your local NYS Senator and Assemblyman and let them know how critical the program is to your agency and ask them to help restore dedicated, line-item funding for HPNAP at no less than the amount approved in FY2013.

Talking Points:

· The need for food assistance has grown particularly since the recession and in the aftermath of  Hurricane Irene and Super Storm Sandy. In 2011, HPNAP provided emergency flood relief funds to agencies located in affected areas to help meet increased demand. This level of responsiveness to community needs would not be possible if HPNAP was rolled into the block grant.

· Our agency received $____________ in HPNAP funding in FY 2012-13 and served ______ people.  We could not do what we do without those funds and would have to either close our doors/serve less people/distribute less food/etc. [Agencies can contact the Agency Services & Programs Department at the Food Bank if you need the amount of your FY 2012-13 food grant and your HPNAP FY 2011-12 stats.]

· Emergency food is for everyone – old, young, man and woman – because hunger does not exclude anyone. Bundling this program into the Maternal & Child Health Block Grant distorts the purpose of emergency food and risks short changing vulnerable seniors, disabled people and others without access to needed food.

· Many of the households we serve need to access programs like WIC in order to help keep food on the table for all family members.  Pitting emergency food against maternal and child health and nutrition programs will only diminish the total resources available to low-income families.

· Not only does HPNAP prevent hunger, it has been an important support for NYS agriculture, with funding dedicated to the purchase of NYS dairy and produce every year.  These funds have helped our local farmers while feeding our hungry neighbors.

Urgent! HPNAP Food Pantry Funding Jeopardized

Pantry supporters:

Remember how you felt the last time you had to skip lunch? You were hungry and maybe a little weak, tired or irritable? Did you feel deprived? Now imagine having to skip lunch every day, all year long. That’s what could happen to food pantry clients if the HPNAP funding is lumped in with WIC and other programs. If all of these programs are competing for the same funds, and the funds have been reduced, some people in New York State are going to have to skip a lot of lunches. 

The Caroline Food Pantry provides a box of groceries for over 500 people twice each month. Last year HPNAP was about 1/3 of our budget, $16,333.00. If we lose that funding, or it’s greatly reduced, many people will have a great deal less to eat. 

Our clients range in age from babies to men and women in their 90’s. Those that can work, for the most part do so. Almost one half of our clients are under 18 or over 62. Many of the rest are disabled, working more than one job, and/or have a family member with severe and expensive medical issues. Their budgets are already stretched to the limit, as is the pantry’s. 

Please do not allow Governor Cuomo to eliminate HPNAP as a separate line item in the budget. The change in funding won’t make a lot of difference to the state, but it will make an enormous difference to our neighbors who need this help. 

Please help by calling Barbara Lifton’s office at 277-8030 or e-mailing her at LiftonB@assembly.state.ny.us and  by calling Jim Seward at 432-5524 or e-mailing him at seward@senate.state.ny.us before Friday, February 22nd.  

Thank you.

Pat Brhel

Director – Caroline Food Pantry

539-9928

lsparrow@hotmail.com

Lansing Market Customers Provide Donations

Thank you to the Lansing community and beyond for making food donations to the Lansing Food Pantry!

Reminder! Busness Meeting Date Changes!

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MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH IN 2013. 

In accordance to the group, it was decided that the Food Bank of the Southern Tier will no longer send courtesy cards as a reminder as our step in Get Your Greenback Tompkins. A list of dates will be provided in writing during the meeting. 

1. January 9
2. March 13
3. May 8
4. July 10
5. September 11
6. November 13

2 - 4 PM Conference Room
Tompkins Community Action 
701 Spencer Road, Ithaca NY


607-273-8816

Christmas Day Meal

Free Christmas Day Meal
2:00 -3:00 PM
Doors open at 1:30 PM
St. John's Episcopal Church
210 North Cayuga St.
All Are Welcome

Normal Hours

   Monday          12-1
   Tuesday         5:30-6:30
   Wednesday   12-1
   Thursday        5:30-6:30
   Friday             12-1