Giving Students Access to Healthy Local Food at School

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $10 million has been awarded to two projects through round two of New York’s Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program. Projects on Long Island and in Central New York were awarded $5 million each to improve meal preparation and distribution for Kindergarten through Grade 12 students using local agricultural products. First announced in the Governor’s 2023 State of the State, the program will provide a total $50 million over five years to eligible applicants in all ten regions of New York State to facilitate the on-site processing and preparation of fresh, nutritious meals; increase the use of more healthy, local New York food products; and provide a boost to New York farmers.

“Every New Yorker deserves access to fresh, locally grown, nutritious foods to eat,” Governor Hochul said. “This program is a great example of how we’re working together to connect the dots within our food systems, reduce food insecurity and support our producers. I congratulate the awardees and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”

Administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program is providing critical funding for schools to aggregate, store, process and prepare farm products, making it possible to cook fresh, nutritious, scratch made meals for school children. The program also encourages workforce development by providing training to schools, communities and students for culinary arts, food processing, safe food handling and storage, logistics, delivery and more based on community need.

The projects awarded in round two are:

• East End Food Institute (Long Island) is being awarded $5 million to continue work on their Food Hub, which is positioned to serve as a centralized hub for food aggregation, processing and distribution in the Long Island Region. The project will focus on addressing logistical challenges that schools and institutions face in sourcing local food, such as constraints around bidding, pricing and distribution. East End Food Institute will incorporate workforce development training into the project by providing staff with training focused on food preparation and production. This project will support the following districts, Southampton Union Free School District, Westhampton Beach School District, Riverhead Central School District (CSD), Copiague School District, North Shore School District, and Half Hollow Hills School District.
• Onondaga County Health Department (Central NY) is being awarded $5 million to develop a food business venture space to increase school access to New York State grown products across the Central New York region. To increase farm-to-school opportunities, this project will support the development of an expanded warehouse and distribution center to be rented and operated by Russo Produce, and a processing facility to be rented and operated by Upstate New York Growers & Packers. The facility will provide significant community-level benefits, including opportunity for strengthening the farm network in the region and beyond by providing meeting and office spaces. This project will support the following districts: Syracuse City School District, Auburn City School District, Baldwinsville CSD, Cazenovia CSD, Fayetteville-Manlius CSD, Lafayette CSD, Liverpool CSD, Marcellus CSD, Sandy Creek CSD, Southern Cayuga CSD, Syracuse Academy of Sciences, and West Genesee CSD.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Ensuring our schools have the equipment they need to cook from scratch and use ingredients made by our farmers and producers is a crucial component of getting New York food directly into our communities. The Regional School Food Infrastructure program provides an opportunity to collaborate with our partners across the state to strengthen our food system and provide delicious, healthy and locally sourced meals to our students while supporting our farmers. I congratulate the awardees and thank Governor Hochul for her support of this program, which will have a lasting impact on our Long Island and Central New York communities.”

In each of the five rounds of the program, two regions will be awarded $5 million each, until all regions are awarded. Funding from the first round of the program was awarded to projects in the North Country and in Western New York.

State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “The New York State Education Department is committed to ensuring that every student has access to the nutritious meals they need to grow, thrive, and reach their full academic and personal potential. Through the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program—and in partnership with our colleagues at the Department of Agriculture and Markets—we’re helping to make certain that New York’s students receive the nutritious meals they need to be successful academically and meet the demands of a rigorous school day."

East End Food Executive Director Marci Moreau said, “East End Food extends our deepest thanks to Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Their investment is transformational—for our schools, our farmers, and most importantly, our children. With this support, we can break down the barriers that have kept fresh, local food out of school cafeterias for too long. We’re building a regional food system that nourishes every student with dignity and health, while uplifting the producers who feed us. This is what the power of food looks like when community, equity, and sustainability come first. We are truly elated and honored to be part of this movement!”

State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Every student in New York deserves access to healthy school meals made with local ingredients from New York farms. Farm-to-school programs help make that possible, but only if schools have the infrastructure to cook, store, and serve fresh food. This grant program delivers the capital needed to build those systems, helping our farmers gain reliable, in-state markets and making sure our kids are eating nutritious, high-quality food. Congratulations to the school districts on Long Island and in Central New York that will benefit from these critical investments.”

Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “The Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program supports schools and other institutions in their efforts to incorporate fresh, local produce into the meals they serve. The program promotes healthy eating and supports hardworking farmers all while strengthening local food systems, making it especially impactful. These critical infrastructure investments will benefit multiple schools districts across two regions, paying dividends for years to come.”

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said, “Onondaga County and Central New York is blessed with a rich and diverse agricultural economy and my administration has worked diligently to support and grow access to our abundance of fresh locally grown products. Thanks this important grant from our partners at New York Ag & Markets, we will be able to expand our efforts exponentially while also investing in our historic Regional Market.”

Riverhead Town Supervisor Hubbard said, “We are extremely grateful for Governor Hochul's awarding of the New York's Regional School Infrastructure Grant Program. We have a very diverse community here in Riverhead and always face economic challenges. This will help ensure our students in grades K-12 have good nutritious food prepared for them while at school. This program not only helps provide local jobs but promotes the use of local agricultural products. Its a big win for our community. Thank you Governor Hochul!”

Easthampton Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez said, “Farming is at the heart of East Hampton’s heritage, and economy. With this investment in the East End Food Institute’s hub, our local farmers will have new opportunities to get their fresh, homegrown food onto the plates of students across the East End, including right here in our own schools. We thank Governor Hochul and the Department of Agriculture and Markets for supporting our farmers and investing in the health and well-being of our students.”

The Regional School Food Infrastructure program builds on New York’s many programs that prioritize local foods in schools, including tools to help school districts procure and purchase farm products from local producers, ensuring that New York remains New York’s first and best customer.

The successful Farm-to-School program connects schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health and promote regional food systems awareness. Through the program, the Department of Agriculture and Markets provides financial, technical and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally varied meals to New York students.

The 30 Percent New York State Initiative further facilitates the provision of healthy New York sourced food products to children as part of their lunch meal in school. The initiative increases the reimbursement schools receive for lunches by 19 cents per meal for any district that ensures their school lunches are made up of at least 30 percent eligible New York produced and processed products. The Department of Agriculture and Markets took over administration of the program as part of Governor Hochul’s 2022 State of the State commitment to better connect farms and schools across New York. Since then, the program has seen increased participation from school food authorities, with a total of 73 school food authorities approved to receive enhanced reimbursement during this school year, up from 59 approved for reimbursement last year. In total, more than $9.7 million was spent on New York agricultural products during the 2023-2024 school year by schools applying for the incentive.

Building on the work of these programs, Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State laid out a plan that will continue to support farmers, strengthen New York’s agricultural industry, and build a more resilient food supply in New York State.