Regional Food Bank reviews State of Hunger

PLATTSBURGH | A Meal Gap map of food insecurity in the Adirondack North Country shows hotspots in Franklin, Clinton and parts of Essex County. A report presented by Regional Food Bank staff July 30 was collated from 2024 federal data provided in the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS). No federal data is available to measure impact from 2025 cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food programs. The USDA Economic Research Service has altogether stopped collecting food security data, according to the Regional Food Bank report. Last fall, USDA announced, "it would terminate not only the annual report on food insecurity in the U.S. but also eliminate funding for the underlying data, which are collected every December through the CPS-FSS." Independent analysts said these data are the "nation's single longest-running and most consistent measurement of a key indicator of material hardship, or families' ability to meet basic needs." Identifying food insecurity hot spots helps direct resources and identify hardest-hit areas. With SNAP cuts in process and costs shifting to states next year, danger for increased hunger in America is growing. Local agencies are feeling the impact. USDA and federal social network support is balanced by Food Bank and food pantry outreach. In June, the New York Association of Counties (NYSAC) published a SNAP Impact Report, which says: "For every meal provided by food banks and partner pantries, SNAP provides nine. If SNAP access weakens or applications are delayed, emergency food providers will face more demand from residents who should be receiving timely federal food assistance. "Food banks are essential partners, but they are not designed to replace a federal benefit serving millions of New Yorkers." To read the NYSAC report: nysac.org/news/posts/new-snap-report-details-costs-risks-and-challenges-for-counties/ ............................................ 2026 STATE OF HUNGER The Regional Food Bank's State of Hunger 2026 report says food pantry and Food Bank partners provided 3,893,518 individual meals last year. That's only about half of the current meal gap they measure at 7,199,800 individual meals. In Clinton County, food insecurity impacts 13.6 percent of the population. In Essex County, it impacts 12.3 percent; in Warren County, 12.5 percent; and in Franklin County the number jumps to 15.1 percent. Data show an average 12.9 percent of persons are food insecure throughout the Regional Food Bank area. A non-profit organization, Food Bank leaders released the report at a meeting with area partners. Food shelf managers and boots-on-the-ground volunteers had time to ask questions and discuss concerns. Participants included personnel from the Ticonderoga BackPack Program, Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf, Schroon Lake Food Pantry, Churubusco Food Pantry, Moriah Food Pantry, Trinity Church and St. Joseph's in Plattsburgh, among others. Joint Committee on Economic Opportunity (JCEO) Executive Director Nicole Laurin introduced Food Bank CEO Tom Nardacci. Nardacci said the figures are indisputable. "You know the single mom who comes every week, who's trying to make it all work," he said. "You know the veteran who is already struggling with his or her benefits and medical issues. And you know the kids. Today the hard facts are that one in six children don't know if they're going to have breakfast today. They might miss dinner." There are 9,200 kids in the Adirondack North Country region who do not have access to enough food. "These are real numbers. How do we get to those 9,200 kids?" Federal cuts, he said, delivered a $7 million blow to their organization with loss of USDA support alone. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made universal school meals a reality last year. And with SNAP threatened, he said, "New York stepped up and delivered $65 million additional dollars to their food emergency programs." The Regional Food Bank redirected that money, Nardacci said, to local partners, "trying to recharge people's buying power. "We've also done a series of restock events where we've had trucks come with the 15 most shelf-stable products. We're going to do another restock event in the fall with extra truckloads of food, trying to get you more shelf-stable products in advance of the fall and holiday season rush. "We're really here to say thank you to all of you for the work you do," he said. "You're on the front lines, you're feeling it, you volunteer, your volunteers are helping you. This is about us working together: your voice, your knowledge, the Food Bank's resources." FOOD RESCUE Food Banks and their partners have established "Food Rescue" options to move items approaching sell-by date from retail chains to food pantries. This prevents tons of food from being thrown away, including items like meat and bread, which can be frozen and stored for distribution. Nardacci told the Sun that last year the Food Bank's Food Rescue distributed 14 million pounds of food through the efforts of 130 agencies. Despite deep staff and funding cuts, USDA did not shut down its 2015 initiative to reduce food waste, which tracks high rates of food loss throughout the U.S.: about one third of all food produced in this country is wasted. "The United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 60 million tons -- 120 billion pounds -- every year. ... almost 40 percent of the entire US food supply. This equates to 325 pounds of waste per person." Most of the food waste -- 43 percent -- comes from homes; 40 percent is created by restaurants, grocery stores and food service companies; 16 percent comes from farms; and two percent of food waste is generated by manufacturers. Feeding America, together with Food Bank resources, supports Food Rescue initiatives: feedingamerica.org/our-work/reduce-food-waste ............................................ FINDING LOCAL SOLUTIONS Solutions to hunger and food insecurity in the Adirondack North Country region look to strengthen local economics. The Regional Food Bank is developing more programs with local farms through cooperative purchasing agreements, CEO Tom Nardacci said in releasing their State of Hunger report. But they have a seasonal hurdle. "Every year at this time, produce inventory goes down, because New York State farmers are waiting for the harvest. Now we're going to have an uptick, but what do we do during that winter season? "We had relied heavily on USDA (for produce from all over the country). That's 3.5 million pounds of produce that we don't have. How can we do a better job of getting inventory 12 months a year?" A Food Bank "Agricultural Hub" initiative is looking local. They currently work with about 200 farms in the 23 counties they serve, Nardacci said. "We have contract relations with about 90 farms right now. But there are 10,000 farms in our service area. "Can we buy produce that goes directly to agencies? We piloted a small-scale program that we call the Micro-Purchase Program," Nardacci said. Scaling purchases is one way forward. Instead of buying a tractor-trailer load of produce, they buy product by the case. One of the pilots is running at the Essex Food Hub, based in Westport, where produce purchased by the Food Bank goes directly to food pantries. Food Bank Advocacy Officer Susan Littner said most of the food lost in USDA cuts was fresh food and also meat products, some of the items food pantries need the most. "It's not just the fact that you don't have it," Melinda Morin said of her experience at Moriah's Food Pantry. "What did the government do with it?" The food exists, Littner said. "Funding for the food does not." "So what are companies doing with it? They are selling less to the government," Nardacci said. "We still receive some USDA food. We receive about 200 tractor-trailers a year of USDA product. As soon as it comes in, it goes right out." One billion dollars was cut from the USDA food supply line in 2025. The estimated amount needed to close food budget shortfall in the Adirondack North Country region is $28,454,000. "The food chain is definitely broken," Morin said, "but for something to disappear that had been in place for 50 years, it's weird." COMMUNITY BASED SOLUTIONS From the Ticonderoga Area BackPack Program, John Bartlett said youth community activities have bolstered food shelf supplies immensely over the past 12 years. Stuff-a-Bus engages youth with shoppers at the local Walmart for food donations that go by bus to the local pantry. Another program, Bartlett said, is the Shopping Spree, which gives high school students a shopping list, a budget and funds from their Stewart's Shops Holiday grant. "They shop to get as close to that budget, without going over. The end product is they buy a lot of food, we load it on the school bus and take it to the food pantry." Littner said Ti's BackPack program is a great example of community engagement that also raises awareness of food insecurity. "I do want to applaud you for everything you've done," she said. Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Pantry Manager Dorothy Latta said Restock the Shelves proved really helpful for them, but suggested more than a one-day notice for these events. People who load and unload trucks, haul and restack food items are volunteers, and the short timeline leaves distribution volunteers scrambling. Other Food Bank programs may look to replicate Farmer's Market voucher provision, such as the one used in Essex County, which is managed through the Department of Health and the Office for the Aging. To find out more about farm initiatives, volunteer support or food pantry locations, visit the Regional Food Bank website: regionalfoodbank.net

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Regional Food Bank reviews State of Hunger

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