New York awards $8.3 million to 59 food banks and pantries for trucks, coolers and buildings
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the NY PLATES capital grants on Oct. 26. Regional food banks could ask for up to $500,000 and smaller emergency food programs up to $125,000, with the money reimbursing capital costs.
Albany. New York State is giving $8.3 million in capital grants to 59 food banks and emergency food assistance organizations in all 10 of its regions, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Oct. 26.
The awards come from New York Providing Local Access to Essential Sustenance, or NY PLATES, a $10 million competitive program in the state budget for fiscal 2027. It is run by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, known as DASNY, with the state Department of Health. The governor's office presented the grants as a response to federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
What the money buys
The grants reimburse capital costs: design, construction and renovation of food relief sites, and equipment and vehicles used only for that work. Under the program's request for applications, food banks could seek $150,000 to $500,000, with about $4 million set aside for them, while emergency food programs and municipalities could seek $25,000 to $125,000 from about $6 million.
The largest awards named in the release were $400,000 each. The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York will install a new cooler and freezer and repair the roof at its Latham warehouse. Feeding Westchester will buy two refrigerated trucks, and Long Island Cares will add refrigeration and warehouse equipment. Foodlink in Rochester, FeedMore Western New York, the Food Bank of Central New York and the Catholic Charities Food Bank of the Southern Tier also received $400,000.
City Harvest received $368,945 for charging equipment and other improvements to its Brooklyn transport operations, and Island Harvest $399,820 for two refrigerated box trucks. Smaller grants went to pantries, churches and community groups: JCTOD Outreach in Utica, the only award in the Mohawk Valley, will use $125,000 to build a food pantry warehouse.
Where the grants went
New York City organizations received the most, $2,271,725, followed by Long Island with $1,084,480 and the Capital Region with $993,496. The North Country received $243,395 and the Mohawk Valley $125,000.
Applications were open from July 8 to Aug. 20 and were scored on project need, impact and viability. Nonprofits had to be prequalified in the state's grants system before applying. The release does not say whether the rest of the $10 million will be offered in another round.
The budget for fiscal 2027 includes $189 million for food assistance, among it more than $72 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program and $55 million for Nourish NY, according to the governor's office.
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