Foodlink buys 3.6 million pounds of surplus from NY farms

Foodlink has purchased 3.6 million pounds of surplus food from New York farmers since the beginning of the Nourish New York program.

The products include apples, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and potatoes and are distributed to families through Foodlinks’ food pantries in the Finger Lakes region, according to a news release

Foodlink has also recently partnered with Byrne Dairy to provide families with 9,350 weekly boxes of dairy products through drive-thru distributions and the food pantry network.

“The Nourish New York program has been tremendously successful in connecting local farms and food producers to communities through food banks, such as Foodlink,” state agriculture commissioner Richard A. Ball said in the release.

Since the start of the pandemic, Foodlink has served more than 190,000 households through their drive-thru food distributions.

“With ongoing support from the Nourish NY program, the state has shown its commitment to supporting both our region's farmers and food-insecure families during a difficult year for all,” Foodlink chief operating officer Terra Keller said in the release. “Having access to millions of pounds of quality, local products has been a relief for Foodlink and the hundreds of thousands of families we serve.”

Foodlink purchases food directly from New York produce farms and dairy manufacturers across the state, including:

• Kirby’s Farm Market, Brockport;
• Bushart Farms, Marion;
• Callan Farms, Caledonia;
• Wheatfield Gardens, North Tonawanda;
• Intergrow, Ontario; and
• Williams Farm, Marion. 

Foodlink is the hub of the emergency food system for the 10-county Finger Lakes region. Visit Foodlink’s website to find out more about all of Foodlink’s efforts to increase access to food in the Rochester area, including the Nourish NY program and its Curbside Market program. 

Nourish New York has helped New York’s food banks and emergency food providers purchase more than 28.6 million pounds of agricultural products, or nearly 24 million meals, for New York households. Nourish NY food purchases have benefitted 4,169 farms across the state.

The state budget included an additional $50 million for the program, bringing the total amount provided to New York’s food banks to $85 million since the program’s launch in May 2020.

The program was created in direct response to the impact COVID-19 had on New York’s families and farmers.

The state’s food banks have seen a dramatic increase in demand, in some regions up to 200%, as many New Yorkers struggle to put food on the table due to the ongoing public health crisis.

The Nourish NY program is administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and the New York State Department of Health and is funded through the end of 2021.

The state is asking any philanthropies that would like to help the state's food banks to contact Fran Barrett, director of nonprofit, at COVIDPhilanthropies@exec.ny.gov.