Dealing With Growing Hunger Problem In Putnam

BREWSTER, NY — Five agencies concerned about a growing hunger problem in Putnam County will start planning for the long term with a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County, the county Department of Health, Second Chance Foods, Putnam Community Action Program, and SPACE on Ryder Farm are currently partners in the project, which will conduct a community food assessment, then plan and seek funding for a community food project.

The problem is that the cost of living increases in Putnam, wages cannot keep up — and the coronavirus pandemic and recent economic downturn have exacerbated the problem.

While only 5 percent of the county's population lives in poverty, according to the United Way, 28 percent of households in Putnam struggle to meet basic daily needs.

They're households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – the ALICE Threshold). The United Way's ALICE report calculates costs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology (a smartphone plan), and taxes. It does not include savings for emergencies or future goals like college or retirement.

"The pandemic has exposed exactly the issues of economic fragility and widespread hardship that United For ALICE and the ALICE data work to reveal," the report says.

According to the ALICE report, a family of four with two children in child care must earn $109,236 in Putnam and $78,156 in Westchester to meet basic daily needs.

“We know the solutions to food insecurity lie within our network of dedicated food system organizations and engaged citizens, but we needed a way to come together to better amplify ideas and resources," said Becca Ligrani, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County. "We are elated to receive this funding which will support the development of the Putnam County Food System Coalition. The Coalition will seek community input and direction as we conduct a community food assessment to identify opportunities for building a more food secure Putnam."

Ligrani and fellow CCE Resource and Community Educator Jen Stengle are also building a network of community and agency partners to address food security in Putnam by offering free vegetable gardening classes and planting supplies for those in need, and by providing fresh vegetables to food pantries and soup kitchens. Partners in the Seed to Supper program include the Brewster Library, Putnam CAP, Longview Alternative School, Patterson Library, Camp Herrlich, and Brewster’s Studio Around the Corner.