Governor Cuomo’s 2013 State of the State Expands His Plan to Fight Hunger

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Albany, NY—January 14, 2013—Governor Andrew Cuomo first laid out his goal of ending child hunger in his 2012 State of the State Address. He quickly expanded outreach efforts across the state and eliminated the finger imaging requirement for applicants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the Food Stamp Program. The Governor’s 2013 State of the State, “New York Rising,” lays out additional plans for ensuring more New Yorkers can access the nutritious food they need. 

“We agree with the Governor. It is unacceptable that any New Yorker goes to bed hungry. 
Governor Cuomo continues to show strategic leadership when it comes to understanding hunger and taking steps to alleviate it,” said Linda Phelan Bopp, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions New York. “One of the ways we can continue to decrease hunger is to maximize and better coordinate the anti-hunger resources that already exist.”

The negative impacts of hunger are well established. Without proper nutrition, children cannot grow, learn, and play.  Hunger affects short and long-term school achievement as well as child behavior. Older adults and people with disabilities need good nutrition to manage chronic illness or to remain active.

SNAP is essential to reduce hunger and contributes to economic recovery. It helps struggling New Yorkers afford food. More than $5 billion a year in SNAP food purchases also benefit local businesses and farmers in New York State. Further, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has shown that every federal SNAP dollar spent results in $1.85 of economic benefit.

Other effective ways to fight child hunger include increasing participation in federal nutrition assistance programs such as the School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Service Program. These federally-funded programs make nutritious food available for low-income children throughout the year.

Additionally, SNAP helps to lift New York families out of poverty. According to USDA, when counting SNAP as income, 34 percent of New York State’s SNAP households were lifted above the federal poverty line—more than any other state in the nation.

“We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo toward our common goal of alleviating hunger for all New Yorkers,” said Bopp. “We believe his plan lays the groundwork for achieving this goal.”