NEW YORK CITY — A surge in the number of needy New Yorkers is leaving food pantries and soup kitchens stretched thin, a new report by the Food Bank For New York City revealed.
The organization surveyed more than 400 feeding stations across the city and found that there is still a sustained need for emergency food providers following cuts to the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the report released Monday.
Responses from providers were gathered in September 2016 and compared to previous years.
It found that 79 percent of providers continued to report an increase in visitors since funding cuts took effect in 2013.
The report directly cites cuts in SNAP as a contributor. The cuts resulted in “a potent one-two punch” for vulnerable individuals and families in the city, the report said, along with lingering effects of the 2008 economic recession.
It said the cuts amounted to more than $540 million in lost benefits that could have been used to purchase food, which equates “to a loss of more than 161 million meals in New York City since November 2013.”
The result was nearly half of providers reporting food shortages because of increased need this past September.
“This network of emergency food providers, heavily dependent on charitable donations and volunteer labor, is particularly vulnerable to economic shifts or policy changes that drive low-income Americans to seek food assistance,” the report said.
Although the survey also revealed there were fewer instances of providers turning people away compared to the past two years, the organization said additional cuts at the federal level would be a blow to the needy.
“Should the coming Congressional session bring efforts to cut SNAP — our nation’s first line of defense against hunger — or other vital safety net programs, there is little doubt that further benefit reductions or restrictions on access will increase New Yorkers’ reliance on food pantries and soup kitchens,” the report said.
“While this network has the resilience, resourcefulness and commitment to stretch scant resources to serve 1.4 million New York City residents, charity is not a substitute for strong policy.”
