MENG CALLS ON DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO RESTORE FEDERAL MONEY TO QUEENS FOOD PANTRIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she called on the Department of Homeland Security to restore the millions of dollars it is holding back from local food pantries in Queens and across New York City.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Congresswoman wrote that local pantries are no longer receiving the funding they need from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program due to a review the agency is conducting into “all grants to non-governmental organizations.”

As a result, many area pantries may no longer be able to fully serve borough residents who need help putting food on the table. This halting of funds may force several pantries to cut their hours or reduce the amount of food they provide to the public.

“Nobody in Queens or anywhere throughout our country deserves to go hungry and that is why Secretary Noem must immediately release these payments,” said Congresswoman Meng. “Taking food out of the mouths of those who rely on local pantries is unconscionable and unacceptable. It is also cruel and reckless. This essential funding needs to be reinstated now, and I hope the Secretary swiftly restores it after receiving my letter.”

A copy of Meng’s correspondence can be viewed here, and the text is below.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) is a key federal initiative to ensure food assistance for individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, hunger and/or homelessness. It is administered by FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

“Our food pantry is a lifeline for the communities we serve, and this interruption in funding has made it incredibly difficult for us to help our fellow New Yorkers, particularly our neighbors, meet their most basic needs,” said Rev. Benjamin Ytac, Jr., Executive Director of Yeshua Worldwide Ministries New York located in Middle Village. “We serve thousands of people every month and without us there is no place else for them to turn. We join together with our partner community organizations and call on the federal government to restore funding to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and allow us to continue supporting our most vulnerable fellow New Yorkers and neighbors.”

“Most of our clients are underserved and lack access to culturally palatable staples like rice, wheat flour, lentils, spices, cooking oil and fresh produce,” said Sudha Acharya, Executive Director of South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) located in Flushing. “EFSP gives flexibility to nonprofits like us to buy food from ethnic vendors and distribute it to deserving families.”

“The consequences of federal funding cuts to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program during this review period are dire, as food pantries and eviction prevention providers that many New Yorkers rely on run dangerously low on resources,” said United Way of New York City President and CEO Grace Bonilla. “This is not just a bureaucratic delay—it is a direct threat to both the lives of those in need and the organizations that support them. It is critical that funding, which in many cases is for services already provided, be restored as soon as possible.”

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Dear Secretary Noem:

I am writing to bring to your attention that numerous organizations serving New York’s Sixth Congressional District and the greater New York City area have not received the payments they are entitled to under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program. This program supports organizations that feed, shelter, and provide lifesaving assistance to people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness and hunger.

You stated your department is conducting reviews of “all grants to non-governmental organizations.” These organizations, however, have received little to no communication from your department regarding the purpose or timeline of the reviews, or the duration of the payment pauses. Meanwhile, the need for the food assistance they provide is urgent and ongoing.

I urge your department to restore these payments immediately so that food pantries can continue offering essential services that many of my constituents and countless individuals throughout the United States rely on. It is simply unacceptable for Americans to go hungry while waiting for your department to conduct these so-called reviews.

Sincerely,

Grace Meng

Member of Congress