NY Farmers Donate 9 Million Pounds Of Food To Food Banks

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published December 5, 2017 at 12:45 PM EST

New York has received an early holiday gift from its farmers: 9 million pounds of food donated to food banks around the state.

The New York Farm Bureau announced the contribution on Tuesday. It's part of the organization's annual "Harvest for All" program that encourages farmers to donate local agricultural products to state food banks.

The Farm Bureau says this year's number could rise in the year's final weeks. Last year, farmers contributed more than 13 million pounds of food.

Local food bank directors say hunger is an increasing problem with more families, seniors and even college students relying on soup kitchens and food pantries for food.

Tags

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas