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Advocacy is a lot like a muscle: It gets stronger the more you use it. 

That’s how Sayre Paradiso recently described her approach to food justice and social equity. As a Tompkins County resident and Community Advocate, Sayre is actively involved in several food access initiatives – from running a local pantry to participating in a county-wide coalition.

“I feel like I’m at a point where my muscles are honed to do what I need to do for my community,” she said.

As people who have experienced food insecurity, Community Advocates like Sayre understand that local realities are not shaped by personal and financial hardships alone. Systemic forces and policy decisions often have the most potential to help – or hurt – individuals and families experiencing hunger.

In the current political landscape, with overhauls to SNAP that will continue to affect thousands across the Southern Tier, it’s more important than ever for the stories of everyday people to reach the rooms where decisions are made for millions. 

“To borrow a catchphrase: Nothing about us without us,” Sayre said. “It’s really important for people to understand the process and what it feels like to be involved in fixing it.”

Along with our partners and several Community Advocates, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier has already traveled to Albany and Washington, D.C. multiple times this year to address the most pressing policy issues and shed light on the way everyday people will be impacted.

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First stop of 2026 was in Albany for Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day, which the Food Bank and several Community Advocates attended in late January. 

Sarah DeFrank, Director of Advocacy and Education at the Food Bank, said they came energized and ready to discuss what may be the most urgent priority of the year: The challenges New Yorkers will face as a result of H.R.1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

In the coming months, many people who were previously eligible for SNAP will lose benefits. Specific age groups will have increased work and administrative requirements that make it more difficult to become eligible. The new regulations also shift the majority of SNAP funding onto the states. 

“These are really devastating cuts over a long period of time,” Sarah said. 

As Sarah, Sayre, and other members of the Food Bank met with State Assembly Representatives in January, they emphasised who these changes would directly impact: former foster children, victims of domestic violence, older adults, and unhoused people.

Lawful residents without citizenship – including immigrants and asylum seekers – will no longer be eligible for SNAP, either. And adults between ages 55 through 64 who have children or dependents older than 14 now have to work at least 80 hours a month to receive benefits. 

There are also additional paperwork requirements to receive SNAP. This will make it even harder for vulnerable groups to remain eligible, especially for older adults and unhoused veterans who are already more likely to have trauma and difficulty navigating bureaucracies.

“If people are falling off of SNAP due to punitive, bureaucratic rules, what we’re going to see is an impact on our pantry partners,” Sayre said. 

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That impact happens at a time when SNAP and food bank funding sources are also facing uncertainty. 

Because H.R.1 reduces federal funding for SNAP, states will have to decide whether to fill in the gap. During Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day in Albany, Sarah and Sayre emphasized that protecting SNAP funding amid this cost shift was a top priority.

“Food is a human right. And we, as a nation, welcome people here to live better lives and take care of their families in a different way,” Sayre said.

Preserving SNAP funding and eligibility is the right thing to do. But it’s also a smart thing to do. Referring to data tracked during the government shutdown at the end of 2025, Sarah reported that SNAP can provide nine meals for every one meal that a food bank can provide.

“We’re going to try our hardest and we’ve been advocating to increase funding for food purchasing. But we cannot replace that. The food bank system was never intended to replace SNAP, nor is it able to replace SNAP,” Sarah said. 

As people start losing benefits and turning to pantries and community programs more frequently, state funding for food bank programs will also be stretched by the new SNAP regulations – which shift between 50-75% of administrative costs to the states. 

And most states are simply not ready. 

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Delaying that cost shift and ensuring funding for TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) were top priorities for Sarah and other Food Bank representatives when they attended the national lobbying event – the 2026 Hill Advocacy Day and Fly-In – in Washington, D.C. in early March.

Other measures include allocating $75 million to both HPNAP (Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program) and Nourish New York in the NYS budget. That was the focus of Feeding New York State Lobby Day in Albany, which the Food Bank attended as a Feeding America partner in February. 

HPNAP and Nourish New York also require food banks to purchase much of their fresh produce directly from local farms in New York State – a powerful economic driver that Sarah and the Food Bank emphasized to state lawmakers during the second trip to Albany. 

Sarah described the support for the funding as “incredible,” especially since the Southern Tier is represented by a politically diverse group of assembly members on both sides of the aisle. In fact, all legislators representing the Southern Tier are in support of fully funding HPNAP and Nourish New York.

“To get every single one of our representatives on board in support of those asks is something that we’re really proud of, and we’re hoping the Governor will follow up with that,” Sarah said.

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As of early May, big questions about the future of SNAP and food access programs still linger. 

The NYS budget has not been passed yet, which means New York State residents don’t know whether SNAP, TEFAP, HPNAP, or Nourish New York will receive adequate funding. County officials are also scrambling to clarify the new regulations and inform SNAP recipients of their new compliance requirements.

In larger Southern Tier counties like Steuben, Tompkins, and Broome, Sarah estimated that more than 1,000 individuals will be impacted by the new SNAP eligibility, work, and form requirements.

The input of Community Advocates is always essential – but even more so in times when people are at risk of going hungry due to politically-motivated policies. In light of the SNAP changes, Sayre emphasized that any policies or amendments designed to help cannot unintentionally create more barriers. 

“It’s our most vulnerable New Yorkers who need these funds. They’re the ones who can’t always get out and stand on line,” she said. 

As food and gas prices remain high, support for the Food Bank is more impactful than ever. For every $1 gifted to the Food Bank, we can supply three meals to seniors, children, and families across our six-county service area. 

The Food Bank of the Southern Tier partners with community food pantries, as well as programs like the BackPack program, School Food Centers, and Mobile Food Pantries that reduce transportation barriers, reduce stigma, and bring nutritious food to those who need it most.