{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Hunger Deepens Across the Hudson Valley as Federal Food Aid Programs Face Cuts","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":950,"description":"As food insecurity increases across the Hudson Valley, federal food assistance programs that serve as a lifeline for families are being slashed—leaving local food banks scrambling to fill the widening gap.According to new data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report, more than 355,000 people in the region lack consistent access to nutritious food. In Sullivan County, the crisis is especially dire: 14% of residents—and one in five children—are food insecure, the highest rate in the Hudson Valley.“It’s a crisis, and the numbers are going in the wrong direction,” said Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, in a live interview. “Post-COVID, we thought the need would go down. It hasn’t. In fact, it’s ticking back up.”The rise in need comes just as the federal government implements significant cuts to cornerstone nutrition programs, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Those reductions are already being felt in real terms.“Our food bank alone is losing 200 tractor trailers of food—about 7 million pounds, or 8 million meals,” said Nardacci. “We’ve already had 27 truckloads canceled this year. That means fewer fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins available for local families.”What’s Driving the Crisis?Food insecurity is often misunderstood, Nardacci explained. It doesn’t necessarily mean someone goes without food entirely—it means they don’t have reliable access to enough healthy, affordable food on a regular basis.“These are mostly working people—single moms, older adults, folks juggling two jobs,” he said. “They’re coming to food pantries once or twice a month to fill in the gaps.”In Sullivan County, the factors behind the high rate of food insecurity include persistent poverty, high unemployment, and geographic “food deserts” where affordable groceries are hard to come by. Inflation and the rising cost of housing and healthcare have only worsened the...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}