** The Fight for a Hunger Free America This May
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Watch New York State Gubernatorial Forum on Hunger, Poverty, Food, and Economic Opportunity
[link removed]
Last week, a coalition of 40 respected anti-hunger and food organizations, including Hunger Free America, organized the Gubernatorial Forum on Hunger, Poverty, Food, and Economic Opportunity, to give candidates for Governor an opportunity to lay out their plans to address hunger and poverty in New York.

Hundreds of viewers tuned in to the event, which was broadcast in 7 different languages, and included live ASL interpretation. This was the first forum of its kind in New York State in modern history, and we hope it can be a model for races throughout the country.
Watch Here ([link removed])

New Queens, NY Office Grand Opening!
Elected officials, community leaders, and government officials joined Hunger Free NYC for our new Queens office grand opening on April 18, 2022! Read more about this great event HERE ([link removed]) .

Our Queens office will assist more New Yorkers with enrolling in federally funded assistance programs including SNAP and WIC.

For more information on how to apply for federal food assistance or to start an application contact HFA's Benefits Access team at (646) 355-1475.
Recognizing the Connection Between Hunger & Mental Health Challenges
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? With more than 38 million Americans struggling with food insecurity, it's more important than ever to talk about the connection between food insecurity and poor mental health.

Research shows that individuals struggling with food insecurity are at an increased risk of mental illness, including anxiety and depression, in part due to the high level of chronic stress brought on by poverty.
Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Our team at HFA recognizes that food insecurity, and its root cause, poverty, do not discriminate. This month we will shed light on Asian American and Pacific Islander families and individuals who rarely receive attention for their high rates of poverty and food insecurity ([link removed]) .
Sign up for our Summer VISTA program!
Grow & Give booth at a Central Oregon Farmers Market
The AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate program is a short-term, summer only compliment to the full-year VISTA program.

Summer Associates expand and support the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and nutrition education programming, improve awareness of nutritious food options at farmers’ markets, and raise awareness of and eliminate barriers to SNAP and other food/nutrition-access services. Last summer we had 110 Summer Associates working with anti-hunger organizations in 23 states.

To learn more about the Summer VISTA Program ([link removed]) , contact our AmeriCorps VISTA Director, Vicky Dumbuya at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
Hunger Fighting Resources
* Do you run a food pantry or other feeding program? Make sure you're in our online database ([link removed]) ! Contact our Data Director, Angelica, at [email protected] ([link removed]) for more information.
* Are you interested in building your network of volunteers for your organization? Become a Strategic Volunteer Initiatives partner ([link removed]) ! Our Strategic Volunteerism team works with nonprofit partners to help them recruit skilled volunteers through our online volunteer hub ([link removed]) .

Make a Donation ([link removed])

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