As part of our Digital Day of Action, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) is highlighting one piece of proposed state legislation from each of the four policy areas in which we work: Protecting human life, promoting strong families, preserving religious liberty, and proclaiming justice and mercy.
In our efforts to proclaim justice and mercy, NYCF supports the Nourish New York Bill (Bill S.4892-A-Hinchey/A.5781-A Cruz). The Nourish New York bill would amend the Agriculture and Markets Law to make the Nourish New York program permanent.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nourish New York program was established in April 2020 to strengthen food supply chains across the State of New York. The pandemic created problems for farms by dramatically decreasing demand for certain foods, leaving farms without customers to purchase their products. It also jeopardized everyday New Yorkers’ access to food by putting thousands of people out of work. The program has addressed both problems by buying surplus food from farmers and providing that food to nonprofit charities and faith-based organizations that serve persons in need. The Nourish New York website allows farmers to share information about surplus food that is available by the truckload at wholesale prices. The website also provides a database of available surplus food that is searchable by food category and by location.
The Nourish New York program is a win-win-win: It assists persons experiencing food insecurity by helping New York’s food banks, it gives New York’s farmers an opportunity to sell surplus products, and it decreases food waste. Given that there is continued need for this program, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms supports making it permanent. The Nourish New York Bill passed the State Senate on March 4, 2021. NYCF calls upon the State Assembly to pass this important legislation and urges Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign it into law.