U.S. Rep. Grace Meng has called on the Department of Homeland Security to restore millions of dollars in funding for food pantries across Queens and New York City.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Meng contended that New York City food pantries are no longer receiving the funding they need from FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program while the agency conducts a review into “all grants to non-governmental organizations.”
Meng said the halt in funding is forcing many pantries across the city to cut their hours or reduce the amount of food that they are serving to community members. Consequently, Meng said, the absence of federal funding means many pantries may no longer be able to serve residents who need help putting food on the table.
“I urge your department to restore these payments immediately so that food pantries can continue offering essential services that many of my constituents and countless individuals throughout the United States rely on,” Meng said in a letter to Noem on March 21. “It is simply unacceptable for Americans to go hungry while waiting for your department to conduct these so-called reviews.”
In a separate statement issued on April 2, Meng called on Noem to “immediately” restore funding for pantries.
“Taking food out of the mouths of those who rely on local pantries is unconscionable and unacceptable. It is also cruel and reckless. This essential funding needs to be reinstated now, and I hope the Secretary swiftly restores it after receiving my letter,” Meng said in a statement Wednesday.
Meng’s office described the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) as a key federal initiative to ensure food assistance for individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, hunger or homelessness.
Rev. Benjamin Ytac, Jr., Executive Director of Yeshua Worldwide Ministries New York located in Middle Village, said the interruption in EFSP funding has made it “incredibly difficult” for the organization to help neighbors meet their most basic needs.
“We serve thousands of people every month and without us there is no place else for them to turn,” Ytac said in a statement. “We join together with our partner community organizations and call on the federal government to restore funding to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and allow us to continue supporting our most vulnerable fellow New Yorkers and neighbors.”
Sudha Acharya, Executive Director of South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) located in Flushing, said EFSP allows nonprofits to serve residents with culturally palatable staples by allowing organizations to purchase food from ethnic vendors.
In her letter to Noem, Meng also expressed concern that local nonprofits have received little to no communication while the Department of Homeland Security reviews grants to non-governmental organizations.
FEMA has not yet responded to a request for comment.
