Governor Hochul pushes farm-to-school model with new funding to tackle food insecurity

New York – Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a fresh wave of support for New York’s local food systems and school meal programs, with $10 million awarded through the second round of the state’s Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program. This latest funding—split between Long Island and Central New York—aims to help schools better prepare and distribute meals using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Each region will receive $5 million to bolster food infrastructure projects that connect students with nutritious meals while also giving a much-needed lift to local farmers and producers. The funding comes as part of a five-year, $50 million plan first introduced in Hochul’s 2023 State of the State to improve access to healthy food and support regional agriculture.

“Every New Yorker deserves access to fresh, locally grown, nutritious foods to eat,” Governor Hochul said. “This program is a great example of how we’re working together to connect the dots within our food systems, reduce food insecurity and support our producers. I congratulate the awardees and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”

On Long Island, the East End Food Institute will receive $5 million to expand its food hub operations. The project is designed to overcome the logistical hurdles many schools face in sourcing local ingredients, such as pricing and distribution. The hub will handle aggregation, processing, and delivery of food while also offering workforce development training in food preparation. The initiative is set to benefit several school districts, including Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Riverhead, Copiague, North Shore, and Half Hollow Hills.

Meanwhile, in Central New York, the Onondaga County Health Department will use its $5 million to develop a new food business venture space. This includes a warehouse run by Russo Produce and a food processing facility operated by Upstate New York Growers & Packers. The site will also offer meeting and office spaces to help grow regional farm networks. Schools across the region—from Syracuse to Sandy Creek—are expected to benefit from the improved access to fresh, New York-grown produce.

The Regional School Food Infrastructure program complements a host of state initiatives that promote healthy eating in schools and local farm support, including the Farm-to-School program and the 30 Percent NY Initiative. The latter offers increased lunch reimbursements to schools that source at least 30 percent of their food from within the state.

With the second round now complete, the program will continue to roll out in phases, awarding two new regions $5 million each in every round until all ten regions of New York have been reached. Governor Hochul has made it clear: strengthening the bond between agriculture and education is central to her broader goal of building a more resilient, health-conscious, and locally powered food system.