Builds on Governor's Recent Signature to Make Nourish New York Food Program Permanent
Over $100,000 in Generous Donations Went Toward Turkeys for New Yorkers
Corporations Who Offered Donations Include Amazon.com, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, Golub Family Foundation, UJA-Federation of New York, China General Chamber of Commerce, MetLife, and Geico
New York State Partnered with Feeding NYS to Distribute Turkeys to Families in Need
A List of Feeding NYS Food Banks is Available Here
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced 3,200 turkeys will be distributed throughout every region of New York State thanks to donations and a partnership with Feeding New York State.
B-ROLL of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
"The pandemic has brought unprecedented hardship onto so many New York families. I'm proud to have recently made the Nourish New York program permanent to battle food insecurity and we are thankful to the kindness of corporations statewide and Feeding NYS for working with us to ensure 3,200 households will have turkeys on their tables this Thanksgiving holiday," Governor Hochul said. "As New Yorkers gather together with their families for Thanksgiving, I encourage everyone to please get vaccinated if you haven't already and get the booster shot for an extra layer of defense against COVID. This is an important way to keep yourself and loved ones protected from this deadly virus."
This year's turkey distribution is possible because of the generosity of corporations across New York State including Amazon.com, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, Golub Family Foundation, UJA-Federation of New York, China General Chamber of Commerce, MetLife, and Geico.
Feeding NYS is leading the way on a unified effort for a hunger-free New York State. Feeding NYS supports the ten food banks of New York State by managing statewide grants, they source food for the food banks, partner with farmers and the food industry to encourage donations, educate the public on hunger issues, among other actions. Learn more about Feeding NYS and their work here.
This announcement comes days after Governor Hochul signed legislation codifying Nourish New York into law. The Nourish New York initiative reroutes New York's surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them most through the state's food banks. Through three rounds of the program, New York's food banks have purchased over 35 million pounds of New York food products, which equates to 29,800,000 meals. In this fourth round, to date, New York's food banks have purchased 6,903,366 pounds of food, creating an additional 5,752,805 meals for households in need. A total of $85 million has been committed to Nourish NY since its launch in May 2020. Nourish NY food purchases have positively impacted 4,178 businesses across the state. You can learn more about Nourish NY here.
Major General Raymond Shields, Adjutant General of the New York National Guard and the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs, said, "After more than a year and a half of support to our communities during the state's COVID-19 response, the men and women of our New York National Guard are glad to be part of an event like this that helps give back to our communities. We hope our efforts here help lift up our neighbors for the Thanksgiving holiday."
Carley Graham Garcia, Head of External Affairs, Amazon New York, said, "Amazon is committed to helping address the rising rates of food insecurity, especially as we emerge from a pandemic that intensified the need for hunger-relief efforts. We are proud to play our part to support Feeding New York and its efforts to provide meals to people in need and commend Governor Hochul for her leadership to ensure New Yorkers have the food they need this Thanksgiving."
Paul Mulligan, Co-owner, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages said, "Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages is proud to partner with Feeding New York to help all New Yorkers enjoy this special time of year with their families. We know this past year and a half has been difficult for many, and we want to do our part to ease burdens for some of our most vulnerable neighbors - especially now, as we enter the holiday season. This effort feeds into the company's larger mission to refresh the world and make a difference, and that's what we're committed to doing in our local New York communities. We thank Governor Hochul for leading this important initiative."
Chen Xu, Chairman of the China General Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said, "CGCC Foundation is proud to working with the governor's office to help engage and unite the local communities during this holiday season and in the years to come."