Tell New York State Leaders to Support SNAP

SNAP is the nation’s most impactful hunger relief program, helping nearly 3 million New Yorkers, including 1 million children, afford food. Right now, households continue to be impacted by delayed November benefits. With significant policy changes to the SNAP program going into effect this month, households continue to be in danger of being food insecure.

New federal restrictions have created an urgent situation where immigrant New Yorkers who could previously access SNAP benefits are now ineligible. In addition, we recognize that in order to address child poverty in New York State, we must alleviate hunger for households with children who are not eligible for SNAP because of their immigration status. The SNAP4ALL NY Coalition urges Governor Hochul to include a food benefit program for newly ineligible immigrants under HR1 and households with children (per NYS’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council)  excluded from SNAP on the basis of their immigration status in her FY27 Executive Budget when released in January.

Please take a few moments to tell Governor Hochul loud and clear: No New Yorker should be excluded from the food safety net. There are two ways we are asking people to take action:

1. Send a letter to Gov. Hochul and members of her administration.
2. Call Gov. Hochul’s office using the script below.

Script

Feel free to adapt. These are quick and easy calls. A staff member in the Governor’s office will answer and take your message and they will likely not ask you questions, they will simply take note of your message. 

Governor Kathy Hochul: (518) 474-8390 (If you reach a voicemail, please leave a message.)

Sample Call Script:

Hello. My name is [YOUR NAME]. I live in [COUNTY/CITY] AND/OR I work at [ORGANIZATION NAME] and I’m calling as part of SNAP4ALL, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to extend food benefits for excluded New Yorkers.

I want to thank Governor Hochul for investing $65 million in new funding for food banks and pantries to support those whose November SNAP benefits were delayed due to the government shutdown. However, we also need a long-term solution for those ineligible for SNAP because of their immigration status. I urge the Governor to invest $244 million in your Executive Budget to protect 41,000 newly excluded refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, and others who are newly ineligible for SNAP and to extend food assistance benefits for 65,000 noncitizen households with children as recommended by the NYS Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to fighting hunger for ALL New Yorkers