LI Cares Gets $650K In Federal Funds For Mobile Farmers Market Truck

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Long Island Cares was awarded $650K in federal funding as part of the New York Food for New York Families program, the Hauppauge-based food bank announced.

Twelve food service organizations across the state were awarded a total of $7.6 million, Gov. Kathy Hochul stated. Long Island Cares was the lone organization from Long Island to receive funding. The program was funded through a United States Department of Agriculture grant in order to boost New York farmers while increasing communities' access to local food.

Long Island Cares will use the funding to support its Mobile Farmers Market Truck it plans unveil this fall, spokesman Peter Crescenti said. The charity will visit food-insecure communities with fresh produce. It plans to start with visits three days a week before expanding to a five-day week, including weekends. The food bank's goal is to distribute up to 250K of produce per quarter.

Long Island Cares will purchase fresh, whole foods grown exclusively by New York state farmers and producers, including fresh produce, seafood and shellfish, meat, poultry, and dairy for unrestricted distribution to hungry and food-insecure Long Islanders, said Katrina Hill, vice president of relations and capacity building at Long Island Cares. All of the fresh food purchased through the proposed program will be distributed across Long Island by Long Island Cares's new Mobile Farmers Market.

Long Island Cares will also be using funding to hire a full-time employee to coordinate the day-to day activities of the truck, according to Hill.

"Long Island Cares is excited about this opportunity to support our Mobile Farmers Market Truck," Hill told Patch. "Our truck will not only enable us to reach disadvantaged communities and provide fresh produce but also boost community health outcomes and collaborate more with our Long Island farmers."

A $250K grant from Bank America helped Long Island Cares prepare its refrigerated truck.

Long Island Cares anticipates using the $650K from the federal funding by mid-2025, Hill said.

The Mobile Farmers Market will travel to all parts of Long Island and target areas that are not served or are underserved by traditional food distribution efforts, according to Hill. These will include rural areas east of Riverhead, communities where existing food distribution efforts are not sufficient to meet the need, and locations where the distribution of fresh foods is not possible because of a lack of adequate refrigeration. This effort will also allow for culturally appropriate foods not often available through traditional distribution efforts to be delivered.

Long Island Cares will target socially disadvantaged farmers and producers, as well, forging new partnerships that will be marketed and promoted by Long Island Cares’ Marketing Department in order to expand economic opportunities for these farmers beyond food purchases, Hill said.

The New York Food for New York Families program and the Mobile Farmers Market will allow Long Island Cares to increase the volume of domestic agricultural products purchased from New York growers, particularly those who are socially disadvantaged, Hill said.

The New York Food for New York Families Program funding marks the second round, which Hochul said supports state efforts to strengthen its food supply chain, increase market access for local farmers and providing healthier food to New Yorkers.

"Our administration has been focused on implementing a number of programs that help to streamline the food system and make sure there is a better and more reliable connection between our farmers and our families in underserved food areas," Hochul said in a news release. "With this federal funding, we can reach even more communities across New York."

In 2022, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets was awarded $49.6 million through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) Program to implement the New York Food for New York Families Program. The program’s goals are to boost traditionally disadvantaged farmers, help producers access new markets, fill gaps in the supply and distribution chain and increase access of underserved communities to local food, according to the state.

In the first round, the department awarded $40.8 million to 102 food organizations across the state, including food banks and pantries, schools and universities, farm collectives, medical centers, and a variety of non-profit organizations.

"These organizations are beginning to implement projects that purchase New York-grown food products and distribute them to underserved communities and are also providing technical assistance to help growers sell their products for use as part of the New York Food for New York Families program," the state wrote.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness in our local communities of hunger, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks and 60,000 local meals programs across the country, estimates that nearly 34 million people, including 9 million children — about 1 in 6 Americans — are living with food insecurity. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.