State Sen. Michelle Hinchey announced $25,000 in funding Thursday to help Dutchess Outreach purchase fresh food from local farms for distribution to residents in need, while promoting legislation that would offer New York restaurants up to $10,000 annually in tax credits for donating prepared meals.
The two initiatives, presented Oct. 22 at Tenmile Farm Foundation in Dover Plains, are intended to strengthen local food networks at a time when rising costs are placing additional pressure on farmers, restaurants, and families struggling to afford groceries.
The $25,000 in state funding will allow Dutchess Outreach, a Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit, to expand its existing partnerships with Dutchess County farms, purchasing locally grown food for distribution through food pantries and community organizations.
In an interview with the Herald, Hinchey said the funding would provide an additional source of income for small agricultural businesses while making fresh produce more accessible to residents who might otherwise struggle to afford it.
“Our farms here are inherently small, so this is funding that will go to small farms for a new market,” Hinchey said.
She acknowledged that the funding would not sustain an entire farming operation but described it as an additional revenue stream that farmers could incorporate into their business plans.
For residents, Hinchey said, the program could help close a gap between the abundance of agricultural production in the region and the affordability of locally grown food.
She specifically pointed to Pine Plains, which has been without a grocery store since Peck’s Market closed in September 2025.
“We’ve got communities like Pine Plains that don’t have a grocery store,” Hinchey said. “It’s really difficult to get fresh produce.”
Although northern Dutchess has numerous farm stands and farmers markets, Hinchey said rising costs for food, housing, and energy have made shopping directly from local farms increasingly difficult for some households.
The funding builds on work already underway at Dutchess Outreach, which operates food assistance programs throughout the county, including a mobile pantry at Sun River Health in Amenia that distributes locally sourced and rescued produce.
Tenmile Farm Foundation, which hosted Thursday’s announcement, is among the organization’s existing agricultural partners. The Dover Plains nonprofit grows food specifically for distribution to emergency food providers across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Dutchess Outreach reported distributing more than 592,000 pounds of fresh food and supporting 15,645 households in 2025.
Tax Credit Would Encourage Restaurant Donations
The second initiative, Hinchey’s proposed Chef-to-Community Tax Credit, would provide a financial incentive for restaurants and other qualifying food establishments to prepare and donate meals to nonprofit organizations serving people experiencing food insecurity.
Under the legislation, restaurants could receive a state tax credit equal to 50% of the fair market value of qualifying donated meals, capped at $7 per meal and $10,000 annually.
The credit would apply to prepared meals donated to qualifying nonprofit organizations, rather than simply to unused ingredients. The legislation would also direct the state Department of Agriculture and Markets to encourage restaurants to source ingredients from New York farms when preparing donated meals.
The bill, S.8719A, remains in the Senate Budget and Revenue Committee. If enacted in its current form, the credits would apply beginning with the 2027 tax year.
Hinchey said the legislation could help restaurants put excess ingredients to use while providing additional meals to people in their communities.
“This means less food is wasted, less food is going into our landfills,” she said during Thursday’s announcement.
The proposal is supported by Rethink Food, a nonprofit that works with restaurants and community organizations to provide prepared meals to people facing food insecurity.
Matt Jozwiak, the organization’s founder and CEO, said many restaurants already want to help feed their neighbors but face financial and logistical obstacles.
“It’s hard, it’s expensive, it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of effort,” Jozwiak said.
The New York State Restaurant Association also endorsed the proposal in a statement read during the announcement, describing the potential credit as a source of financial relief for restaurants facing rising operating costs.
Hinchey said the tax credit would be available statewide, including to restaurants in northern Dutchess that establish partnerships with eligible local organizations.
Unlike the newly announced funding for Dutchess Outreach, however, the restaurant tax credit would require legislative approval before businesses could take advantage of it.
Both initiatives come amid broader concerns about food affordability and the effects of federal reductions in food assistance. Hinchey said strengthening local food supply chains, including supporting farms and the businesses that process and distribute their products, could help communities become less vulnerable to economic disruptions.
“We live in an agricultural area, and yet many people still don’t have access to good healthy food,” Hinchey told the Herald. “And we have to do everything that we can to better connect those dots.”