You’ve heard a lot about food recently, mostly because the government suspended food stamps during the recent shut-down.
As you know, the shut-down has ended. What’s less known is that the food crisis preceded the shut-down and that it’s getting worse. We at Educational Alliance serve over 200,000 meals a year, so consider this newsletter a report from the front lines of the struggle to feed New Yorkers.
For the last year, the price of food has been steadily increasing, up nearly 25% from 2020-2024. That’s an abstraction for most of us, but for many of those on a fixed income, it’s a crisis – one that means they can’t afford to feed themselves.
We at Educational Alliance have seen the result throughout our many food-based programs, among them our older adult congregate meals. Right now, we are typically providing daily breakfasts and lunches for about 10,000 older adults each month. That’s a 25% increase since 2023. Food is simply too expensive for many in our community, so they come to us.
Here’s why demand is going to increase even more:
- First, the interruption in food stamp benefits had a cascading impact on the finances of many struggling families, and another suspension in food stamps is very possible at the next impasse between the administration and Congress.
- On top of that, the whole Food Stamps program has been changed to limit access. One of the primary ways in which the Food Stamps program has been modified is implementation of new work requirements, which extend to those up to 64 years old.
- And, the price of food continues to climb, with the government now predicting a 3% increase this year.
The result is that many more individuals will come to us looking for meals. The wrinkle for Educational Alliance is that we are already at 125% of the funding that the city allocates to us for older adult meal programs. I recently submitted testimony to the City Council asking that the amount of funding be increased to match the need, but so far there has been no change. This means that we must cover the excess costs of the meals with our philanthropic support or through cuts to other programs that we run.
Educational Alliance has been a crucial support for the people in our communities for over a century. In this moment of crisis, we will continue to do all that we possibly can to feed those who are hungry. In the video above, I speak with Xiomara Maldonado (Senior Director of Older Adult Programs at Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Center) about why the meal service program is so important and how it makes a tangible difference in the lives of many older New Yorkers.
Best,
Rich Baum
President & CEO