Congressman Dan Goldman Convenes Virtual Townhall to Discuss Strategies for Combatting Summer Food Insecurity
Goldman Joined by Sherry Tomasky, SNAP Bureau Chief for the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance
Goldman, Tomasky Highlighted State’s Efforts to Roll Out Summer EBT Program, Shared Resources for Residents
Recording of the Event Can Be Found Here
New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) yesterday convened a virtual townhall to discuss food insecurity, share information about New York State’s Summer EBT program and its rollout, and provide resources to residents who would like to apply. The Congressman was joined by Sherry Tomasky, SNAP Bureau Chief for the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA).
“In the wealthiest nation in the world, any child going hungry is more than just a policy failure – it’s a moral failure,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “We can and must do better to ensure that all children have access to healthy and nutritious meals year-round. New York’s Summer EBT program is one critical step we’re taking to address child hunger. I will continue to work with my colleagues both here in New York and in Washington to make sure food insecurity is a thing of the past.”
Following a presentation from SNAP Bureau Chief Sherry Tomasky on the implementation and rollout of New York State’s Summer EBT program, Tomasky answered residents’ questions about accessing Summer EBT benefits.
The Summer EBT Program was authorized in 2022 by H.R. 2471, the ‘Consolidated Appropriations Act.’ States were given discretion in facilitating the rollout of this program across the country. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is the lead agency administering Summer EBT in New York.
This July, OTDA began outreach to families to let them know about the Summer EBT process. Eligible families will receive $120 per eligible child on an EBT food benefit card. Summer EBT benefits can be used just like SNAP benefits to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other SNAP-authorized retailers. These benefits help ensure children’s access to healthy food while school is out.
In the United States, more than 1 in 6 families with children is struggling with food insecurity. Inadequate nourishment during a child’s development puts them at a significantly higher risk for a variety of problems such as higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Improper nutrition is also associated with asthma, diabetes, anemia, and oral disease.
Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to closing the summer nutrition gap and combatting food insecurity.
This past February, the Congressman cosponsored the ‘Summer Nutrition Parity Act’ to help local summer meal providers keep up with inflation and continue serving meals to children. This legislation would make the formula that determines the aid schools get for summer meals equal to the formula that decides aid for school-year meals. This updated formula will allow summer meal providers to keep up with inflation and continue serving meals to children throughout the year.
As part of the 2023 appropriations process, Congressman Goldman secured $250,000 for Community Help in Park Slope, inc., $581,000 for UA3, and $175,000 for Rethink Food. These Community Project Funding grant awards will be used to expand each of these community organizations’ food distribution operations.
In June of last year, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Hot Foods Act,’ to expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to allow participants to purchase hot foods such as prepared rotisserie chickens, hot sandwiches, and soups. As it stands, SNAP limits eligible purchases to foods for take-home preparation and consumption or cold prepared foods.
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