STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A weekly program dedicated to helping Staten Islanders eat healthier could soon be a thing of the past, as the funding that supports it was recently axed in the federal spending bill.
Each week, the Children’s Aid Society’s Food Box program provides low-cost, farm-fresh produce and nutritional education to North Shore residents living in what’s considered one of the borough’s driest food deserts — a term used to describe areas where residents have limited access to fresh produce due to a lack of easily-accessible grocery stores.
The program provides bags full of enough fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced produce to feed a family of four for a week, all for just $14, with SNAP recipients able to purchase their bags for half-off using their food assistance benefits…