Brindisi: Members of our community are struggling; we need to have their backs through this crisis
Congressman Anthony Brindisi and his wife Erica visited Mohawk Valley Community College Wednesday to help hand out locally sourced food boxes to families in need. The food drive was a result of a partnership between the Food Bank of CNY and Nourish NY.
Brindisi, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, spoke with volunteers, organizers, and families about the importance of banding together and supporting each other and local producers.
“This pandemic hit our region hard, but it is heartening to see our community come together to support those in need,” Brindisi said. “Upstate New York is home to the greatest agriculture producers in the country, and food drives like today’s are a great way to lend a helping hand to our neighbors facing food insecurity and our hardworking farmers at the same time. Upstate New Yorkers are tough, and I know we will get through this together and come back stronger than ever.”
Brindisi has volunteered at several food drives during the coronavirus pandemic and recently introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure local, family-owned farms receive the same COVID-19 relief as small businesses. Last month, Brindisi worked to pass the Heroes Act through the House of Representatives.
In addition to wins for rural hospitals and towns, this legislation included key provisions for farmers across the country. The bill would provide more than $16 billion in direct payments to ag producers to cover losses and compensate for milk-dumping. It would also help connect family farmers to food banks and prevent needless hunger across the country.