Gillibrand wants to end food desert in the South End

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, along with local officials, announced a proposed bill on Monday aimed at ending food deserts. The bill aims to provide $50 million in mandatory federal funding annually to the Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

The HFFI is a USDA program that incentivizes grocery stores to establish locations in food deserts and underserved communities. Food deserts are areas where many residents don’t have easy access to a grocery store and affordable, nutritious food.

According to Senator Gillibrand, an easily accessible grocery store is a basic necessity, but for decades, residents of the South End haven’t had consistent access to one. This means they have to travel miles outside their neighborhood to buy staple groceries, which can be a multi-hour journey by foot or public transit for residents without a car. Senator Gillibrand deems this situation as unacceptable.

Since 2011, HFFI programming has awarded over $300 million in grants nationwide, including Capital Roots in Troy. Senator Gillibrand is also calling for $25 million to be included in the upcoming government funding bill.