Listen to this articleState officials came to a Long Island supermarket Thursday to announce that Feeding New York State has collected 32 million pounds of food since launching in 2022.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced the milestone at Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace in Melville.
Feeding New York State, the association of the state’s 10 Feeding America member food banks, has utilized the state’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law, which aims to reduce waste and climate-altering emissions caused by landfilling while providing quality food to New Yorkers in need, according to a DEC statement.
“Feeding New York families is critical to the long-term health and well-being of communities in every corner of our state,” Mahar said in the statement. “This latest milestone shows the success of New York’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law, which helps provide healthy, quality food to New York families while reducing greenhouse gases from landfilled waste. I applaud Feeding New York State, our state agency partners, and donors for this latest achievement, and thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued support for this vital program.”
As of August 2024, Feeding New York State reported receiving an average of 2 million pounds of food donations each month, a significant increase from the average of 300,000 pounds per month during the last 12 months, and the 50,000 to 60,000 pounds per month when the program first launched in October 2022. The program previously reached the 5-million-pound food donation milestone in Oct. 2023, according to the statement.
“Today marks a significant achievement in the effort to combat food waste and food insecurity in New York,” Feeding New York State Executive Director Dan Egan said in the statement. “We celebrate the donation and diversion of 32 million pounds of edible food from landfills, made possible through the collaboration of our member food banks, their partner agencies, DEC, and our generous donors. This milestone is a testament to the hard work and passion that drives us toward a sustainable future and ensures that our most vulnerable neighbors have access to nutritious meals.”
DEC provided $4.8 million to Feeding New York State and the 10 regional food banks through the Environmental Protection Fund beginning in Oct. 2021. The funds are used by Feeding New York State to deploy staff to grocery stores, restaurants, colleges, and other food industry facilities to increase participation in the program and encourage food donations. The fund also supported several vehicle and equipment purchases for the 10 regional food banks to increase food pickup capabilities at food pantries, meal centers, and other partner agencies.
The program also reduces the amount of methane released from the breakdown of organic waste in landfills, the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emission in the waste sector, according to the DEC. Additionally, DEC provided $1.6 million directly to emergency food relief organizations, and $5.3 million to municipalities for wasted food reduction, food donation, and food scraps recycling programs, according to the statement.
DEC was also recently recognized with a 2024 Hunger Champion award from Feeding New York State for the agency’s partnerships with the organization, their member food banks and the broader emergency food relief organization network.