(L-R) Lisa Buhrmaster and Mary Lou Zimmermann of Black Horse Farms, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and Lloyd Zimmermann
In spring 2020, Governor Cuomo announced the Nourish New York program as an emergency response to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to help unprecedented numbers of people needing food assistance and farmers who lost outlets as restaurants and other food service ceased operations. Through July 2021, we have purchased over 5.73 million pounds of nutritious food (equivalent to 4.7 million meals) from 42 New York State farmers and producers.
This spring, we were thrilled to learn Senate Agriculture Chair, Michelle Hinchey of Saugerties, co-sponsored a bill to establish Nourish New York as a permanent state program, which passed with unanimous support in the Senate and Assembly.
“We are stronger when we all come together to identify needs, challenges and benefits in order to solve them with each other. This program is a great partnership that benefits everyone by connecting our wonderful family farms with food banks to feed families in need.”
-Senator Hinchey
“We’ve donated to the Food Bank for many years,” said Mary Lou Zimmermann, owner of Black Horse Farms. “It’s so helpful for us to have this new market open up thanks to the Nourish New York program so we can now provide our best produce.”