As food pantry lines grow longer across Brooklyn and Queens, New York state lawmakers are pressing Albany to pass legislation aimed at combating food insecurity.

They cite recent federal funding cuts, changes to SNAP eligibility and concerns over last year’s government shutdown.

“The state budget will decide whether we protect families or leave them behind”

“Hunger is rising. Affordability is slipping. And the state budget will decide whether we protect families or leave them behind,” says Brooklyn Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes.

Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson of Queens, chair of the Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy Task Force, said lawmakers are also pushing to revive a statewide hunger report after the U.S. Department of Agriculture terminated its tracker last year.

“Where data is, resources follow, or are supposed to follow. And it makes it that much more easier to make sure resources are allocated to those communities that need support,” Anderson said.

The package of bills and budget requests, spearheaded by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas of Queens, includes proposals which would transition EBT cards to more secure chip technology to prevent benefit theft, an ongoing problem for SNAP recipients.

Lawmakers say they also hope to expand access to hunger prevention programs and raise the minimum SNAP benefit as part of these negotiations over the state budget.

A spokesperson for Governor Hochul’s office said in a statement: “Unlike Washington Republicans, Governor Hochul is not going to allow families in New York to go hungry. That is why she has already committed additional state funds totaling $106 million this year for emergency food assistance programs and reinforcing New York’s network of food banks and pantry partners.”

Transitioning to chip cards would make benefits more secure, officials say

College student Oybek Ochildiev said his family experienced benefit theft firsthand.

“About a month ago, our SNAP was skimmed. So we lost all of the $600 that we had for that time, for that month. And that really hit us hard, especially since my parents had to cut back on some of our budgets from other places,” he said.

“They get to the checkout counter, the money’s gone. And the money’s gone because it’s been robbed off that card. If we transition to a chip card, it will ensure that it’s 87% more secure,” González-Rojas told Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger.

Need for help growing, organization says

Hundreds of people, many of them seniors and immigrants, lined up outside the Chinese-American Planning Council’s Brooklyn office Friday to collect boxes of fresh vegetables. Organizers said the line stretched down the block for nearly two hours, with between 400 and 500 people showing up every two weeks.

Among them was Ou Bao Cai, a Sunset Park resident who said he has relied on food pantries since the pandemic.

“The food price went up so much, so he cannot afford the full price,” his translator explained.

Steve Mei, director of Brooklyn Community Services at CPC, said the need is growing as federal benefits shrink. According to the organization’s data, about 10,000 community members have been affected by SNAP cuts and eligibility changes, and roughly 2,000 people are expected to lose benefits altogether.

“We’re working with community partners to make sure that we fill those gaps in terms of food needs,” Mei said.

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