CARMEL – More than 8,400 people as well as 1,600 children are food insecure throughout Putnam County.
The figures were released as the county legislature recognized September as Hunger Action Month.
Legislator Nancy Montgomery commended the Regional Food Bank of the Hudson along with its 1,000 partners for providing “vital hunger relief services to our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Barry Lewis of the Regional Food Bank, headquartered in Orange County, attended the meeting and thanked the lawmakers for bringing the topic of food insecurity to the front burner.
Lewis said in 2025, the Regional Food Bank distributed over 1.1 million pounds of food in Putnam County, which is equivalent to over 924,427 meals.
“Despite these efforts, the meal gap continues to exist with over 1.6 million missing meals,” he said.
Lewis added that because of federal changes to the SNAP program and increases in cost of living, “we anticipate these numbers will increase. The Regional Food Bank understands that counties are under extreme pressure associated with absorbing the administrative and benefit cost shares of the SNAP program. We also applaud your commitment to ensuring that food and secure individuals have access to what they need.”
The food bank representative also noted that “for every one meal that we distribute, SNAP distributes nine. If SNAP ceases to exist, we and our community partners will not be able to absorb that loss. We are calling on the Putnam County Legislature to join us in urging the federal government to give New York a two-year delay to prepare for these significant and costly changes, modernize systems, improve accuracy, and implement new requirements responsibly. Without enough time and resources, states and counties may face difficult budget decisions that could affect the program or other essential services.”
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