(WNY News Now) – WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that they have secured $3 million for FeedMore WNY in the FY2024 spending bill. The funding will help FeedMore WNY build a new, 197,700-square-foot facility to fight hunger and meet growing need in Western New York. The senators personally secured funding for this project as a congressionally directed spending request.
“All New Yorkers should have access to fresh, affordable, healthy food options, and together with FeedMore WNY we delivering federal resources to tackle food insecurity head on. I am proud to deliver this $3 million federal investment to help make FeedMore’s centralized anti-hunger facility in the Town of Hamburg a reality,” said Senator Schumer. “These federal dollars will help FeedMore build even more robust and resilient local food economy, increasing access to vital nutrition programs to serve underserved neighborhoods across Western NY and help ensure a brighter and more equitable future for all of our Buffalo families.”
“FeedMore WNY provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of Western New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This funding will help FeedMore WNY build a brand new facility where it can accept more donations, grow its workforce development training program, and expand its commercial kitchen to deliver more meals. In Fiscal Year 2023, I delivered $2 million for this project, and I’m proud to have secured another $3 million in this year’s spending bill. I look forward to seeing the new space in action soon.”
“We are grateful for the support of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for securing $3 million in federal funding to support FeedMore WNY’s urgently needed new facility. This new facility is critical to the continuation and growth of FeedMore WNY’s vital programs that tackle root causes of food insecurity, increase access to nutritious food, provide nourishment and comfort to vulnerable neighbors, offer free workforce development and community nutrition education, and much more. We deeply appreciate Senator Gillibrand’s continued partnership and commitment to building brighter futures for our Western New York community members,” Tara A. Ellis, president and CEO of FeedMore WNY, said.
FeedMore WNY is the largest hunger relief organization in Western New York. In 2022, it served over 197,000 people in need in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. But the organization has outgrown its current facilities, and over the past few years, it has been forced to turn away millions of pounds of donations because of a lack of storage space. The funding will allow the organization to build a new centralized facility in the Town of Hamburg that will include a main warehouse, commissary, growing spaces, and office and meeting space.
Schumer and Gillibrand have been strong advocates for addressing food insecurity in Western New York. The senators secured $2 million to expand FeedMore WNY’s facility in the omnibus end-of-year spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Additionally, in November 2023, Schumer and Gillibrand announced over $40 million for food organizations across the state through the USDA funded New York Food for New York Families program with Governor Hochul, including $2 million for FeedMore and millions more for other Western NY food organizations and school districts.
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