WASHINGTON – With more than 800,000 New York households that do not reliably know when their next meal will come, and with food banks across the country experiencing bleak shortages, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand took action, Tuesday, to increase charitable donations this holiday season.

Senator Gillibrand is introducing legislation to double federal funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), make the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive permanent to encourage more businesses to fill food banks with unused food items, and extend tax credits that incentivize seniors to donate portions of their retirement savings to New York charities.

“The holiday season is a time for giving, but because of the bad economy, New York families that typically donate food, warm clothes and other basics to those in need just can’t afford to this year,” Senator Gillibrand said. “As a result, food bank shelves have gone bare, and hunger and food insecurity have reached disturbing, historic highs. We need to make sure we’re helping New York children and families who were hit the hardest by this economy. So this holiday season, I have a plan to double federal funding for emergency food outlets like food pantries and soup kitchens, make tax credits permanent for businesses that donate to food banks, and extend tax credits for seniors who donate to New York charities.”

Across New York, increasingly more families are going hungry and do not know when their next meal will come. In fact, approximately 800,000 New York households are now food insecure. Since 2006, the number of meals served by emergency food outlets across New York rose by nearly 60 million – an increase of 55 percent.

Food banks are funded through three avenues: corporate donations of food from wholesalers, producers, and grocery stores that have a surplus; personal donations from the community; and government assistance including farm commodities and TEFAP from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).