Budget Funds the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), but Does Not Fund Healthy School Meals for All
The final state budget passed on April 20, 2024, includes:
- $5.55M for SNAP outreach and application assistance through the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), maintaining the $2M investment in expanded services secured in the FY2024 state budget.
- $145.6M to sustain last year’s expansion of free school meals through the federal Community Eligibility Provision.
- $250,000 in sustained funding for Child and Adult Care Food Program outreach.
- $57.8M for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and $54.3M for Nourish NY, modest increases from the FY2024 state budget.
We applaud continued state funding for these critical anti-hunger programs, and are especially grateful to Senator Roxanne Persaud, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas for championing these investments.
Still, additional funding is needed to support food security for all New Yorkers. The final state budget does not include funding to establish universal school meals, nor does it increase the SNAP minimum benefit.
Hunger Solutions New York will continue our advocacy for state investments to alleviate hunger, and will send updates ahead of next year’s budget negotiations. As co-leads of the Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids coalition, we remain steadfast in our commitment to securing universal school meals in New York. Read the coalition’s budget response here.
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