Governor Hochul Announces 200,000 Meals Will Be Delivered to Communities in Need Through the Restaurant Resiliency Program During the Holiday Season

 

$25 Million Program Builds on the Successful Nourish New York Initiative, Providing a Boost to Struggling Restaurants While Feeding Families in Need

Restaurants in the Program Represent Diversity of New York State Regions and Communities

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State’s Restaurant Resiliency Program will be delivering 200,000 meals to New Yorkers in need through the end of the holiday season. Restaurants involved in the program are in all regions of New York State and represent the diversity of the state, with many participating restaurants preparing Kosher and Halal meals and representing minority and women owned businesses.

“During the holiday season, no family in the state of New York should go hungry,” Governor Hochul said. “The Restaurant Resiliency Program takes an innovative approach to help New Yorkers facing food insecurity and restaurants struggling during the pandemic. Programs like these showcase the spirit of generosity and collaboration that is crucial to New York’s success.”

Through the program, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has received several hundred applications from restaurants to date, more than one third of which have come from minority and woman owned businesses. Of those, 215 restaurants have been approved including 34 restaurants that are preparing Kosher and Halal meals. Additionally, restaurants have been approved in the regions of each of New York’s 10 food banks, illustrating the statewide reach of the program. View a list of approved restaurants here.

Examples of approved Restaurant Resiliency Program meal plans include:

• Barcha, New York, New York: 1,400 meals distributed through FACES NY, Inc. and the Food Bank for New York City.
  • Meals include beef meatballs in marinara sauce, herbed rice, and mesclun spring mix salad; crispy chicken, garlic butter mashed potatoes, and kale salad with honey mustard dressing; vegan jibarito with colossal tostones, avocado, ripe tomatoes, organic spinach, olives, and artichokes; Mediterranean grilled chicken, herb rice, and julienne vegetables; crispy fish, creamy mashed potatoes, and spring mix salad; and a hearty quinoa bowl, organic spinach, chickpeas, carrots, and avocado.
  • All of the meals use New York sourced ingredients.

• Fireside Holdings, Monsey, New York: 7,000 Kosher meals to be distributed through Tomche Shabbos of Rockland County and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
  • Meals include beef brisket with gravy, smashed Yukon potatoes, charred green beans, and fruit compote; and chicken breast, assorted mushrooms, brown rice with lentils and beans, and roasted pears.
  • New York sourced ingredients include onions, green beans, apples, mushrooms, pears, and chicken.

• Haskell’s Seafood Market and Café, Westhampton Beach, New York: over 500 meals to be distributed through New Direction Services, the Food Bank for New York City, and Long Island Cares.
  • Meals include porgy, beans, brown rice, and vegetables; tilefish curry with farro and vegetables; striped bass with quinoa, lentils, and vegetables; mango mahi-mahi with brown rice and vegetables; lemon pepper tuna with quinoa and vegetables; monkfish farro risotto with vegetables; seared sea scallops with quinoa and vegetables; and more.
  • New York sourced ingredients include tuna, monkfish, sea scallops, potatoes, parsley, kale, honey, porgy, tilefish, striped bass, thyme, spinach, and more.
• Serendipity, Ithaca, New York: 500 meals to be distributed through Enfield Food Pantry and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. 
  • Meals include: chicken with rice, bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic, capers, rosemary, and thyme; chicken with rice, carrots, spinach, cream, sun-dried tomato, onion, garlic, and parmesan cheese; pulled pork with barbecue sauce, corn, and salt potatoes; and chicken sausage with couscous, onion, bell pepper, carrot, garbanzo bean, potato, squash, cauliflower, and tomato. 
  • New York sourced ingredients include onions, garlic, cream, and potatoes.   

The program is continuing to take applications from restaurants on a rolling basis and will continue to do so until all funds have been spent. Additional information and an application for the program can be found here.