Back to Grant Outcomes

Equity Advocates

Improving the Healthfulness of New York City’s Emergency Food Program

NYHealth awarded Equity Advocates a grant to ensure that New York City’s emergency food program is effectively and equitably implemented so community-based organizations and food-insecure New Yorkers have access to high-quality food.

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Grantee Name

Equity Advocates

Funding Area

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Publication Date

June 2025

Grant Amount

$125,000

Grant Date:

2023

Print

About 1 in 10 New Yorkers are food insecure, and 1.4 million rely on the City’s emergency food system. While programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) help address hunger, benefits often fall short, forcing families to turn to emergency food. In 2022, New York City revamped the Community Food Connection to include both shelf-stable and fresh foods. Equity Advocates, with partners like Westside Campaign Against Hunger and Met Council, successfully pushed for $30 million in new funds. They helped raise the City’s total emergency food investment to $52 million and secure permanent access to fresh produce, leaving the next step to improve healthy food access contingent on effective policy implementation. 

Equity Advocates worked with the New York Food Policy Alliance (Alliance), a multi-sector group of more than 75 stakeholders, to lead a campaign to ensure funding and equitable implementation of the new Community Food Connection program.  

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Advocated for and successfully restored $31.9 million for frontline emergency food providers when the mayor proposed to cut City funding for the program in half; 
  • Coordinated with Alliance partners to educate lawmakers about the value of food programs, resulting in over $531.4 million in City funding for food security, sustainable agriculture, community composting, and school meals; 
  • Trained community partners, hosting 46 hours of policy and advocacy workshops, engaging over 728 community partners; and creating 21 grassroots advocacy tools and resources. Feedback surveys showed: 
    • 100% of attendees reported the trainings increased knowledge on food justice and advocacy,  
    • 94% reported the trainings increased knowledge of political processes, and  
    • 75% reported learning new information about the City’s policymakers. 

During this grant, Equity Advocates identified digital communications tools as a limiting factor. They are now considering how the organization might leverage digital tools and media strategies to ensure their educational materials and advocacy platforms reach wider audiences going forward. Greater public support for these programs will be critical given federal cuts to emergency food programs and looming fiscal challenges at the City level. 

Co-Funding and Additional Funds Leveraged: The Merck Family Foundation contributed $37,000 and Viking Global Foundation contributed $120,000 to support Equity Advocates’ organizing efforts. 

Back to Grant Outcomes