Governor Maura Healey’s administration launched a new SNAP Resource Hub at Mass.gov/SNAPFreeze that includes information on how families facing hunger can get help, ways for people and businesses to offer help, and a new digital map showing how many people depend on SNAP to feed their families in each Massachusetts city and town.
Following Massachusetts’ court victory against USDA, Mass. Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) will send partial November SNAP benefits to clients next week. DTA will continue to provide information to clients through text alerts, robocalls, banners, and at mass.gov/SNAPupdates
Governor Healey, in collaboration with the Legislature, is also advancing previously planned payments to food banks and local organizations to help them provide food to families in need during this freeze. The Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance program (MEFAP) currently provides $4 million to food banks per month. To help them meet the anticipated increase in demand, Governor Healey is advancing an additional $4 million of these existing resources appropriated in the state budget for November, bringing the monthly total to $8 million.
Governor Healey also appealed to businesses to join in these efforts. For example, the company r4 Technologies has committed to donate 10,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to Massachusetts food recovery organizations. Businesses with surplus food and hunger relief organizations in need of food are encouraged to register and list themselves on MassGrown Exchange, a free service that allows users to list as available or post a need for wholesale-level products, services, or equipment.
Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline provides free, confidential support to all Massachusetts residents experiencing food insecurity in 180 languages, available year-round. Call or text 1-800-645-8333 or visit www.projectbread.org/get-help for more information. The SNAP Resource Hub also includes more information about how people can contact their regional food bank if they are in need of food or want to help.
More than 1.1 million Massachusetts residents rely on SNAP to afford food – 32 percent are children, 26 percent are seniors, and 31 percent are people with disabilities. 21,000 SNAP recipients in Massachusetts are veterans, meaning almost 1 in 10 veterans and their families could go hungry. Additionally, over 5,500 farms and grocery stores take SNAP and depend on those revenues.