O'Mara joins federal, state and local colleagues at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier today to participate in a special holiday 'BackPack Repack' event

Elmira, N.Y., December 20–State Senator Tom O'Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today joined  U.S. Representative Tom Reed (R-Corning), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) and other local elected officials and school superintendents to help packs bags of food for children in the Southern Tier at a special holiday BackPack Repack event hosted by the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

Food Bank President & CEO Natasha Thompson began the event with an overview of the BackPack Program. 

The repacked food will be distributed to children through the Food Bank’s BackPack Program before the holiday break. The program provides students at risk of hunger with a pack of easy-to-prepare, nutritious food to take home every weekend and school vacation. More than 3,100 children participated in the program this year.

Earlier this year, O'Mara joined his Southern Tier colleague, Senator Fred Akshar, at the Food Bank to urge  Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign into law legislation known as the "Farm to Food Bank" bill.  Cuomo ultimately vetoed the legislation for the second straight year, which drew criticism from O'Mara, Akshar, the New York Farm Bureau, hunger advocates and others.

ABOUT THE FOOD BANK OF THE SOUTHERN TIER

Established in 1981 and headquartered in Elmira, NY, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier distributes food and other grocery products to people in need through a network of more than 160 member agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other hunger relief organizations in Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. The Food Bank also administers several direct service food distribution programs including the BackPack Program and Mobile Food Pantry. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and a regional agency of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester. The Food Bank’s mission is to work together to build and sustain hunger free communities throughout the Southern Tier.