Broome County Steps Up With Emergency Food Aid For Residents

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar was joined by New York State Senator Lea Webb, New York State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Binghamton Mayor Kraham, Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar, and community partners from the Broome County Council of Churches – CHOW, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, and United Way of Broome County to address the SNAP benefits.

Garner and the local officials declared a State of Emergency in Broome County in response to the federal government's suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

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According to the announcement, Sheriff Akshar was able to reallocate $200,000 from a Broome County Sheriff's Office trust account to purchase emergency food for our local pantries.

In times of crisis, our community always comes together, despite any political differences, to ensure our families have what they need. This funding was intended for public safety, but helping ensure no child goes hungry is an essential part of building a safer, stronger community. We need our leaders in Washington to follow suit and come together to ensure our communities don’t go hungry. - Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar

SNAP benefits are normally distributed between November 1–10, and there is still time for the federal government to resolve the funding hold and release funds to New York State for disbursement.

The County reminds recipients to continue to:

• Keep your scheduled appointments
• Attend interviews
• Provide any requested documentation

Anyone who needs immediate food assistance is encouraged to call 2-1-1  for information on available food pantries, community meals, and other local support programs.

• Visit the Food Bank of the Southern Tier’s Find Food Tool website to locate nearby food resources.
• For a list of food pantries and community meal sites in Binghamton, visit the Binghamton Food Resources website.
• For a countywide list of food pantries and community meal sites, visit the Broome County Food Resources website.

Broome County Transit provides free rides to food resource sites for SNAP recipients. Show your SNAP EBT card to the driver when boarding at any food access location in Broome County.  Visit the BC Transit website for routes.

For more information on emergency food assistance, visit the Go Broome County website.