In our churches across New York City, we meet families where they are. We pray with single mothers stretching every paycheck. We counsel seniors deciding between groceries and medication. We comfort working parents carrying the burden of rising rents, rising utility bills, rising transit costs, and rising food prices.
That is why many of us are deeply concerned about the proposed New York State packaging reduction bill.
While supporters describe the legislation as an environmental solution, the reality is that the costs of this sweeping mandate will ultimately fall on the very people already struggling the most: working-class New Yorkers, immigrants, seniors on fixed incomes, and low-income families trying to survive in one of the most expensive cities in America.
The products our congregants buy every day — food, household goods, personal care items, diapers, cleaning supplies, and basic necessities — all rely on packaging to keep costs manageable, products safe, and shelves stocked. When government dramatically changes packaging requirements, companies do not absorb those costs out of charity. They pass them directly to consumers.
That means higher grocery bills. Higher prices at bodegas. Higher costs for basic essentials.
For families in affluent neighborhoods, a few dollars here and there may seem insignificant. But for the families sitting in our pews every Sunday, every dollar matters.
We believe deeply in environmental stewardship. Faith communities have long supported cleaner neighborhoods, better sanitation, and responsible conservation. Caring for God’s creation is a moral responsibility.
But there must also be balance and compassion.
Policies crafted in Albany should not ignore the economic pain already being felt in communities across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Upper Manhattan. Too often, lawmakers create well-intentioned mandates without considering how those policies ripple through the lives of ordinary people.
The timing could not be worse.
Each mandate imposed on working people exacerbates that strains placed on us and the institutions in the frontlines. Our soup kitchens and food pantry lines have not subsided since COVID, food and staples inflation has not subsided since COVID and now gas prices are taking food off those very kitchen tables were doing our best to Bless.
New Yorkers are already facing inflation, food insecurity, and affordability challenges that have pushed many families to the breaking point. Food pantries across our city continue to see enormous demand. Churches and faith-based charities are filling gaps government programs cannot meet.
At a moment when families are begging for relief, Albany should not be advancing policies that risk making everyday life even more expensive.
Environmental progress should not come at the expense of economic justice.
The burden of saving the planet cannot fall entirely on working families already struggling to put food on the table.
As pastors, we are called to speak for those whose voices are too often ignored in political debates. We urge lawmakers to reconsider this legislation and focus instead on policies that protect both our environment and the economic dignity of New Yorkers.
Our communities deserve solutions that are practical, balanced, and compassionate — not another mandate that makes life harder for the people who can least afford it.
Rev. Kirsten John Foy serves in Brooklyn.