Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Celebrates Completion of $45 Million New York State Regional Food Hub in the Bronx

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of the New York State Regional Food Hub, a $45 million cold-storage facility that will transform food access across New York. The first-of-its-kind 60,000 square-foot facility, operated by GrowNYC in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx, will enable a 600 percent increase in locally-sourced food distribution — from approximately 3 million pounds to 20 million pounds annually by 2034 — while creating over 200 new jobs and providing a critical economic lifeline to New York farmers. The facility, supported by $19 million from New York State, as recommended by the New York City Regional Economic Development Council, represents a joint State and City investment designed to strengthen the local food economy, support New York farmers, and improve access to healthy and affordable foods for low-income communities.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

 Thank you, Marcel. Farmers like rain, right? So it's a good day. It's a good day. It's a sign of good luck and Marcel, thank you for having the vision and sticking with it. I mean, sometimes the challenges become so insurmountable. People throw in the towel and surrender and you never did. You believed in this and I'm so proud to be with you here today.

As we stood together at the ribbon or the groundbreaking years ago. We are fortunate to have our Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, we just spent eight hours together at a very interesting hearing in Washington. It really made me glad I could get on a plane and come back to New York, but thank you for fighting the good fight for your district. Thank you for joining us.

Our Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, a real champion of this project. We work so closely together on so many projects to lift up the people of your beloved Bronx, so really happy to be here as well. State Senator Jose Serrano — thank you, Senator Serrano for your voice and your advocacy for this as well. Councilmember Raphael Salamanca, thank you for your support.

Commissioner Richard Ball, who does an extraordinary job. He covers the entire state, especially dealing with our farmers who are under siege right now because of all kinds of policies, including tariffs that are making life so much harder for them. Thank you for being their voice, Commissioner Richard Ball. And our representatives from the City of New York — a great partnership we had with the Mayor in getting this done as well.

Four years ago, I stood here as Lieutenant Governor for the groundbreaking and it's extraordinary to be able to see the completion of what ended up being $45 million. $40 million, thereabouts, okay. That's a lot of money, but this community deserves it. You know, this project is 660,000 square feet. And what this is going to do is enable a 600 percent increase in locally sourced food distribution for New York City and when I love this part the best, and create over 200 good-paying jobs here in the South Bronx.

So let's give that a round of applause, but also gives us a chance to remind us of our interconnectedness. I mean, farmers in Upstate New York, who have their own struggles will benefit from this. But they're creating a supply of food, a reliable supply of food for thousands of people here in the city.

And I've always wanted us to feel more of one state, Upstate and Downstate united. And this is a perfect example of what it looks like when we can help both communities at the same time. And I'm really proud of the $15 million we were able to allocate from Empire State Development. I want to thank my team from there to make this revolutionary hub a reality and lifting up millions of hardworking New Yorkers.

As you mentioned, it took decades, a long time. The seed of this dream started years ago with just a small handful of farm stands, dotting city corners, and it's grown into one of the most important food distribution centers in the state. You've already brought three million pounds of locally sourced produce to the city, and I know we're going to be continuing to generate vital income for our upstate farmers.

And I know you've already projecting out by 2034, this will distribute 20 million pounds of fresh produce to the people of this city. That is almost impossible to imagine, but we're on track to do that, and that's $15 million for our farmers. Now, we're talking about in big abstract terms, the farmers, the community.

I'm talking about a single mom with a couple of kids right here in the South Bronx who will finally get to have the chance to have fresh fruit for her kids, put them on a healthier start every single morning, give them the best advantages in life. It comes down to taking care of our families and giving them what they deserve, but also those Upstate farmers, as I mentioned, they go through so much. They're at the whims of Mother Nature. Climate change has been harsh for so many of them. The flooding, the extreme weather, the frost — it's been hard. But if we can help both populations at the same time, I would call that a huge win.

But also, I want to make a point — we're doing all these great things here in New York GrowNYC is extraordinary and thank you all for all the work you do. But the same people are trying to help — the families here in the South Bronx, the farmers Upstate — they're under attack by Washington right now. There is no other way to describe it, and that's why what we do here matters more now than ever. I mean, you think about what the Trump administration, Republicans in Congress have already done — gutting programs that millions rely on for their survival. In March, the USDA slashed $1 billion from programs that connect local food banks with fresh farms from Upstate and connects our schools to them as well. It was a crippling blow, not just to the kids, but also to the local economies. $1 billion they cut, and now the House passed a Republican bill that would cut nearly $300 billion from the supplemental nutrition program.

You know what that means? You know how many people rely on that right here in our own city and in our state? These aren't thought out policies — they're just cruel. They hurt people. I mean, how can you literally be saying it's okay to take food from families and little kids? That's not who we are. We're certainly not that in New York State, but that's not who we are as Americans. That will leave over two million children hungry in our country.

There's not a single person who can justify that. They should be ashamed of themselves for even contemplating that. And we'll continue to use our voices here in the State of New York to call out those injustices wherever they occur. And they're occurring far too many times, my friends. So while it's clear that Republicans in Washington are not looking out for our families, that means we need to do even more here in the State of New York because we care about children's health, we care about families having access to healthy food, and we care about the bottom line for our farmers who are the lifeblood of feeding us every single day. And that's why I'll continue to partner with programs.

And last month we announced another $10 million for our regional school fund infrastructure program, so kids have access to this. That's why I signed an executive order directing that our state agencies buy from local farmers. Let's give them that steady marketplace that they can rely on that'll help our local communities. In this community — this building itself — this is extraordinary for the people who work in there. They deserve nothing but the best environment with the best amenities. But also stands as a symbol of our commitment to the South Bronx.

We have more to do. We are working hard to make it a place that has a higher quality of life. Run clogging roads, reducing pollution, excessive noise, truck traffic, all the things that have plagued these neighborhoods for too long and no one stood up and did something about it. These communities matter to me, and I'm going to continue fighting to make sure they get whatever they need.

So today's a celebration of what we accomplished. I look forward to cutting the ribbon, but also it's a sign of our values as New Yorkers. How we believe in opportunity for all. We believe in justice for communities. It's about who we are as New Yorkers and what we owe our communities. So I believe in investments like these. I believe in the South Bronx, and I believe that the best days do lie ahead as we continue working together. Thank you very much.