Emely Páez
3:46:45
Good afternoon Chair Ayala, Chair Brandon, and Council Members Aviles, Banks, Caban, Jose, Ressler, Riley, Stevens, and UGG for taking the time for this hearing and this testimony presented by Hispanic Federation, a nonpartisan organization seeking to empower and advance Hispanic communities to programs and legislative advocacy.
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Our network of seven eighty member and partner organizations, over 200 of which are here in New York City, are front like service providers of our neighborhoods and communities.
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Despite being significantly under capitalized and under resourced, local community based organizations remain the heart and soul of ever changing and ever growing Latino families.
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They are deeply embedded in our neighborhoods, providing our most vulnerable residents with food, shelter, and clothing, helping at risk youth succeed academically.
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Low income families obtain health insurance and workers gain the skills they need to be more successfully mobile and socially mobile.
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Additionally CBOs uplift communities that would otherwise be voiceless to advance equity and opportunities to improve everyone's quality of life.
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Today we are taking the time to advocate the expansion of key funds for incoming year to support our ever growing Latino families to ensure that the city prioritizes the allocation of resources that can improve the well-being of our vulnerable communities.
3:48:10
Hispanic Federation is requesting that the city council provide baseline funding of a hundred million to community fund connection, CFC, to allow emergency food providers to battle food insecurities for all New Yorkers.
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Additionally, the council did, as the council did in 2020, the response to a severe hunger crisis, request the allocation of 20,000,000 in discretionary fund for emergency funding for food pantries in the fiscal year 2026.
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New York City budget for Hispanic Federation as well as our community partners Met Council and Catholic Charities.
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For over fifteen years, a cornerstone of Hispanic Federation's La Lucha Conte Alambre hunger relief effort is boosting nutritional food support to needy families across New York City.
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Filing a need for food items and food pantries have been a hard time fulfilling to improve the health and nutritional status of New Yorkers through our network of nonprofit community based organizations and other partner agencies across New York City, it's in its surrounding areas, Hispanic Federation worked to provide fresh fruit, produce, and meats that meet culturally responsive and diverse communities across the region.
3:49:23
In fiscal year '25, La Lucha Contelambre has provided over nearly three fifty meals, Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas Bernice impacting 15,000 families living in New York most vulnerable communities.
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On our ground, service providers and trusted among vulnerable Latino communities throughout the city can and certainly to reach those needs.
3:49:45
We are grateful for the city council's commitment to address food insecurities that have felt throughout New York due to economic deficiencies.
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Additionally, we are thankful for the support that has been provided to our neighbors.
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One of our underlining basic needs of the overall health and safety of all populations is food security and it continues to be the most deeply impacted by Latino and black New Yorkers.
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According to the 02/2024 food by numbers report by the mayor's office for food and policy, over 40% of adults in New York City lived in households at risk for food insecurity in 2023 compared to 39% in 2022, continuing a rise trend since the pandemic.
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The report additionally highlights that the impact of food higher rates, another reason why HF's hunger relief program focuses on providing fresh fruits and vegetables to pantries and communities where these are harder to access.
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In the face of deepened cuts and once stable federal funding, the need now for New York City to step up to meet the need of our vulnerable neighbors is critically more important now more than ever.
3:50:51
We have heard from organizations that have had cuts back in the amount of food offered as well as a reduction in the number of families that they can serve due to budget cuts.
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Although appreciative of CFC's funding being maintained at $36,100,000.0 in the executive budget, we anticipate that there is a much larger need faced with uncertain economic times and mass funding from the federal level cuts that are directly impacting communities of color.
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Hispanic Federation applauds the city council and calls to 100,000,000 in baseline funding and we will continue to advocate for funding among the final budget.
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We thank you for your time and we look forward to working with you all to help serve New Yorkers to have to meet the culturally responsive hunger relief assistance programs.
