Issue Position: On Regional Food Security

Issue Position

I had the privilege to serve as the Director of Programs at The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which serves all four western Massachusetts counties. In that position I oversaw direct service initiatives like the Brown Bag Program, which ensured that hundreds of elders who were in danger of going hungry received a bag of nutritious groceries every week. Our team also provided the food for hundreds of meal sites, food pantries, and summer meal programs.

In addition to meeting the immediate and critical demands of hunger and food insecurity in our region, I also helped initiate a program called Target Hunger, with the goal of ending hunger in our midst. As part of Target Hunger, our team created two farmers markets, in North Adams and the Mason Square neighborhood in Springfield, both of which accept SNAP/Food Stamps. We increased The Food Bank's advocacy and outreach around SNAP, and we helped develop community-based nutrition programs to assist local communities struggling with food insecurity to stretch their dollars to purchase healthy meals on tight budgets.

Here's a look at food insecurity in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district:

About 21,000 people (or about 13%) are food insecure. That means they are not sure where their next meal will come from.

Approximately 14,000 of these folks currently receive SNAP, with their benefits totaling about $1.7 million every month.

Not only is SNAP a lifeline, it's also a powerful boost for the local economy. Research has shown again and again that SNAP benefits enter the economy at the base level, meaning they're spent as soon as folks get them--helping to mitigate hunger and food insecurity and stimulating the economy by supporting retailers and farmers. The Food Bank estimates that the district-level economic impact of $1.7 million in SNAP benefits is over $3.1 million per month, because the spending has a positive ripple effect.

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