As cuts to meals help come down from the Trump administration, Massachusetts will create an anti-hunger job drive to advise on mitigating the losses, Gov. Maura Healey introduced Thursday.
“We’re at a time right now where President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made cuts, including cuts to resources that feed kids and seniors and families across this country,” stated Healey. “In the midst of that, it was very important to the LG and me that we bring everyone together and say we’re going to work together like never before to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to end and prevent hunger in the Bay State.”
The governor signed an Government Order creating an Anti-Starvation Process Power on Wednesday, gathering with meals help advocates and native and state management on the Mystic Neighborhood Market in Medford.
The announcement comes slightly below two weeks after the Trump administration signed off on $200 billion in meals help cuts and new eligibility necessities inside the Huge Stunning Invoice. The SNAP modifications are anticipated to influence over 1,000,000 residents in Massachusetts, Healey stated.
“These include teens, parents, kids, infants, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities,” stated Healey. “A million in Massachusetts alone impacted by this, in a state of 7 million people. All of them, in one way or another, are going to be at greater risk of hunger because of these cuts.”
The governor additionally famous the SNAP program generates $3 billion yearly within the Massachusetts financial system throughout 5,500 companies.
The SNAP alterations construct on the administrations earlier cuts of $12 million in federal funding for baby care and colleges’ meals applications, $3.4 million for meals banks, and one other $6 million for a neighborhood farmer to household meals program.
The Larger Boston Meals Financial institution discovered 1 in 3 Massachusetts households skilled meals insecurity in 2024, in response to the 2025 Value of Starvation report. The report additionally discovered meals insecurity has steadily risen during the last 5 years, from 19% of Massachusetts households in 2019 to 37% in 2024.
“It’s going to get worse in terms of what we’re going to see,” stated Larger Boston Meals Financial institution President Catherine D’Amato. “These are not just statistics. These are actually people. These are our neighbors, families being forced to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. Adults skipping meals or their medication to feed their children. Children forgoing education or missing school, and veterans waiting in long car lines in order to get some food resources.”
The duty drive will embrace a variety of representatives from meals banks, non-profits, SNAP recipients, farmers and small enterprise homeowners, together with state and native authorities.
The group will work to provide suggestions to mitigate the influence of cuts as they go into impact and develop “longer term, sustainable solutions,” the governor stated.
“My message to the public is the need is real,” Healey stated. “It exists now, and it’s only going to get worse, given what President Trump and Congress have done with these cruel cuts. Now is the time to contact your local food pantry, find out how you can get involved. Make a donation. They take cash. To offer your time and your energy, and talk about this as an issue and show others how they can get involved. To support one another.”
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