On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and announced new actions in response to the Trump administration stripping food assistance from 3 Million New Yorkers come November 1st. These actions include:
- $65 Million in new State funds for programs that support food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and more to provide emergency food assistance to New Yorkers.
- Deploying Empire State Service Corps and SUNY Corps Members to support food banks.
- Launching a new website to connect New Yorkers with Food Assistance Resources.
If you receive SNAP, OTDA will notify you by November 1st on the status of November SNAP benefits via text message and on the OTDA website; NYC ACCESS HRA; myBenefits; and the ebtEDGE website, app and customer service line (1-888-328-6399). All SNAP households should continue to complete all SNAP requirements including recertifications, periodic reports, and reporting changes during this time.
Public Assistance (cash) benefits are not affected by the federal government shutdown. They will continue to be issued to all eligible households. Visit the otda.ny.gov/workingfamilies/ for resources for working families impacted by federal cuts.
Below are helpful resources to find local food distribution sites nearby:
- Food Bank for New York City has a digital map with convenient filters to plan meals based on day of the week and time of day: https://www.foodbanknyc.org/find-food/#find-food-map
- City Harvest has a digital map detailing locations for their City Harvest Mobile Markets, City Harvest Community Partner Distributions, soup kitchens, food pantries, and community fridges: https://www.cityharvest.org/food-map/
- You can also visit map.thefoodpantries.org to find nearby Food Pantries, Community Kitchens, Mobile Food Resources, and more.
Below are additional resources that can be accessed by phone:
- USDA National Hunger Hotline: 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (Spanish)
- Call 311 if you live in New York City
- Call 211 for New York State Residents
- Text 914-342-7744 and type in the word “food”
