Ed Smith interviewed Mark Dwyer, Director of Marketing and Communications for Foodlink.
-Mark talked about some recent data they received which showed a huge increase in food insecurity in 2024 in our area.
-He said there was a 36% increase over 2023, of people visiting local food pantries and meal programs.
-He talked about the increase in food cost for Foodlink and explained how they do receive food that is donated to them but they also purchase food.
-Mark talked about the multi-year, $15 million expansion project they are doing.
-They are putting in a new cooler at their main facility which will allow them to increase the amount of food they can take in and distribute.
-They are also working on upgrades to a neighborhood farm/garden they have on the northwest side of Rochester.
-Mark said the improvements to the farm will not only allow them to harvest more food but it is going to become a community education center. They plan to educate the public on farming, sustainability and the benefits of growing food locally.
-Mark said they have been advocating for a few years to get NYS to provide free breakfast and lunches for all school age children in the state.
-He talked about the benefits of the free meal program, students are able to focus on academics and typically have less behavioral issues. He cited the period during the pandemic when NYS was temporarily offering the free meals to all students. He said this would support students in rural and suburban districts as the Rochester City School District already provides free meals. He is hopeful that it will pass with the NYS budget this year.
-Foodlink is also advocating for NYS to increase the minimum amount monthly on SNAP benefits. Right now, the minimum is $23 but they are pushing for it to be closer to $100. He said other states like New Jersey have recently approved legislation, increasing the minimum on SNAP benefits.
-Mark said the partnerships they have with local businesses and individuals are critical for them to continue to provide food for people in need.
-Mark said they continue their Mobile Market, which brings fresh food to underserved areas. They focus on communities that have a lack of healthy food retailers, senior centers and low income housing.
-They have made some logisital changes to be able to have volunteers come in and help sort food again. This had been disrupted by the construction of the new cooler.