BUFFALO, N.Y. — Food banks are being hit especially hard right now because of a drop in donations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week that the state would be providing $25 million to food banks as part of the Nourish New York Initiative. He says the money will come from the state's special public health emergency fund.
The money be used to help provide food banks and any other emergency food providers across the state with surplus agricultural products.
Here in Western New York, FeedMore WNY is getting about $1.8 million. All it of will have to be used to buy locally grown agricultural products.
Catherine Shick, the communications director for FeedMore WNY, says now more than ever people are turning to the organization for help.
She says in many cases, it's people who have never needed to get their meals from a food bank.
Before this pandemic, FeedMore was serving about 135,000 people. Thousands more are have needed help since the coronavirus outbreak began, though.
FeedMore has also seen a big rise in the number of home-bound individuals, who have to use its meals on wheels program for food assistance.
The organization has held pop-up food distributions in areas where food pantries have been forced to close.
Even with the funding from the state, FeedMore still needs help from Western New Yorkers.
"It's going to be a long road ahead of us, so while this is a big addition to help us continue our mission, we do need the community's support. We need nonperishable food items. We do need people to run food drives for us," Shick said.
Shick says FeedMore WNY especially needs help because of big food drives it has had to cancel, including one that happens every Mother's Day.
Channel 2 also held our Dress 2 FeedMore fundraiser, raising $4,500 for the organization.
You can still donate by clicking here.