Mamdani triples baseline funding for more than 700 New York City food pantries

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has tripled the permanent city funding for Community Food Connection, the program that keeps more than 700 food pantries and community kitchens stocked. Here is where New Yorkers can find free groceries and hot meals.

New York City has tripled the baseline funding for Community Food Connection (CFC), the city program that supplies more than 700 food pantries and community kitchens across the five boroughs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said. Together with the City Council, the administration has allocated $78 million for food distribution in fiscal year 2027, which began on July 1.

The increase was first unveiled in Mamdani’s preliminary budget on Feb. 17, which added $54 million to the program for fiscal 2027, and it was locked in when the budget was adopted in June. In an Oct. 15 statement, the mayor’s office again highlighted the step, with Mamdani pointing to “tripling funding for more than 700 food pantries citywide.”

Why “baseline” funding matters

Baselined money is built into the city budget every year, rather than handed out as one-time allocations that pantries must fight for in each year’s budget talks. Anti-hunger groups City Harvest, Food Bank For New York City and United Way of New York City said the adopted budget raises CFC’s total to about $80 million and its baseline to $54 million, and thanked Mamdani, Council Speaker Julie Menin and the Council for the investment.

Run by the Department of Social Services through the Human Resources Administration, CFC was formerly known as the Emergency Food Assistance Program. It sends groceries to pantries and food for hot meals to community kitchens.

Lines at pantries keep growing

According to the three groups, visits to New York City food pantries have surged by 82 percent since 2019, while food prices have climbed 25 percent. Nearly 2 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP food benefits, and expanded federal work requirements and new eligibility rules put roughly 223,000 of them at risk of losing that help.

Canned goods on the shelves of a food pantry (illustrative)

How to find a food pantry near you

The city’s Food Help NYC map shows active food pantries and community kitchens near any address. A full list of CFC pantries and community kitchens can also be downloaded from the Human Resources Administration, and New Yorkers can call 311, which is staffed 24 hours a day, to find the closest location.

Pantries hand out groceries to cook at home, while community kitchens serve hot meals. Opening hours and requirements differ from site to site, so the city advises checking with the location or 311 before going.

Have a story, event or announcement of your own?Send us your news on WhatsApp

Spotted an error in this story?Report it on WhatsApp

Share on all social platforms