![]() While some of the programs may require residency status, Quackenbush said all Food Bank partner agencies have a "serve and refer policy." The Enfield food pantry is one of the Food Bank's biggest distribution sites and is open several days per week. In addition to the multiple pantries and meal programs in Ithaca, Tompkins County also has pantries in most communities, including Enfield, Trumansburg, Newfield, Groton, Danby, Freeville, Lansing, McLean, Caroline, and Dryden. John’s Community Services, Immaculate Conception Church Food Pantry, YMCA Food Pantry, Tompkins Community Action Pantry, Overlook Apartments, West Village Apartments, and Loaves and Fishes. In Ithaca, free food options include the Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard at Salvation Army, Southside Community Center, St. Tompkins County has what Quackenbush called a “very, very robust food distribution network." "We all need some help sometimes and going to a food pantry is an option," said Quackenbush. ![]() The bulk of the Food Bank’s distribution is through the local pantries, which also give clients more choice. The demand for the program is high, so the Food Bank encourages people to utilize local community food pantries and free meals. The Mobile Food Pantries deliver fresh produce, dairy and other foods to designated locations and require participants to pre-register. To combat the loss of SNAP EA and universal meals, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier is adding approximately 300 family slots to its Mobile Food Pantries. "But one by one those benefits are slipping away," she said. In 2021, food insecurity levels decreased, said Quackenbush. The additional SNAP EA benefits, along with universal meals for all students, helped curb hunger. “We had lots of donations and the government was stepping up.” Everyone saw the pictures of the cars lined up,” said Quackenbush. “When pandemic began, food insecurity was really highlighted. For households already receiving maximum benefits, the SNAP EA benefits were raised by $95. The increased EA benefits were the difference between the benefit the household would normally receive and maximum for the household’s size. More: SNAP benefits in 2023 to end extra cash for food benefits provided during the pandemic However, the Families First Coronavirus Act, signed in March 2020, helped combat food insecurity levels with additional benefits for households receiving SNAP. SNAP benefits were not adequate before the pandemic, said Quackenbush. “We’ve been calling it the ‘hunger cliff.’” “Food insecurity is spiking,” said Randi Quackenbush, vice president of Community Impact for Food Bank of the Southern Tier. The average person will receive about $90 a month less in SNAP benefits, it said.Īccording to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), older adults will be hardest hit by the cuts, with seniors who qualify for only the minimum SNAP benefits seeing their benefits slashed from $281 to a mere $23 per month. More than 1.6 million households across New York State will lose the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Emergency Allotments (EAs) at the end of February that provided extra money for food since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020.Įvery SNAP household will see at least $95 a month less, but some will see reductions of $250 a month or more, according to the nonpartisan research and policy institute Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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