New York Awards $8.3 Million to 59 Food Banks Under NY PLATES Program
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced in Albany on October 26 that the state is awarding $8.3 million in capital grants to 59 food banks and emergency food assistance organizations through the New York Providing Local Access to Essential Sustenance (NY PLATES) program. The grants will help organizations expand food storage, improve distribution and upgrade facilities, and recipients span all 10 Regional Economic Development Council regions, from large regional food banks serving multiple counties to smaller community organizations.
'No New Yorker should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,' Hochul said. 'As Washington cuts critical food assistance programs, New York is stepping up to help the organizations that families depend on every day. These investments will give food banks and pantries the equipment and infrastructure they need to reach more people, reduce food waste and ensure families across our state have access to fresh, nutritious food.' DASNY President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said the grants would fund practical improvements such as refrigerated trucks and expanded cold storage, and State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald called food banks cornerstones of local communities across the state.
Among the largest awards by region: the Capital Region received about $993,496 in total, including $400,000 for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to install new cooler and freezer facilities at its Latham warehouse; Long Island received about $1,084,480, including $399,820 for Island Harvest to buy two refrigerated box trucks; New York City received about $2,271,725, including $368,945 for City Harvest in Brooklyn; and the Finger Lakes region received about $659,691, including $400,000 for Foodlink's Rochester distribution center.
Governor Hochul secured $10 million for NY PLATES in the FY27 Enacted Budget. The competitive capital grant program is administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York in collaboration with the State Department of Health, and applications were accepted from July 8 through August 20, 2026. The governor's office said the FY27 budget invested $189 million in food assistance overall and $395 million for universal free school meals.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 食物银行志愿者分装食品（资料图）。美国海岸警卫队 Sarah Foster 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Food bank volunteers packing food (file photo). Photo by U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sarah Foster, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
