New York State is offering individual $5,000 grants to service providers that help reduce food insecurity and encourage healthier eating among people living with mental illness, the state Office of Mental Health announced March 30 during National Nutrition Month. The grants fund the agency’s Eat Well NY program, which it described as a three-part intervention that teaches participants how to incorporate healthy, nutritious foods into their diets, a practice the office said is connected with positive mental well-being.
“Access to sufficient healthy food is a bedrock of overall wellness, both physical and mental,” Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said in the announcement. “Through the Eat Well NY program, local service providers connect with New Yorkers living with mental health issues and provide them with access to fresh food and how to prepare a healthy nutritious diet.”
The office said Eat Well NY, established in 2022, is designed to increase food access and affordability among participants while teaching healthy eating skills with a focus on fresh food. According to the agency, grant recipients receive program training, materials and FreshConnect checks, which clients can use at local farmers markets to purchase fresh food. The agency’s announcement, issued under the heading of up to $30,000 in available Eat Well NY grants, did not in the portion released specify how many $5,000 awards a single provider could receive.
The same announcement said the Office of Mental Health was alerting service recipients and providers to federal rule changes affecting eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal benefit commonly known as SNAP. The agency did not detail those changes in the material it released.
The office listed Justin Mason as the contact for the program at the Office of Mental Health.
