Summer should be a season of possibility for children and families. Instead, many households across Western Massachusetts are facing impossible choices as grocery prices remain high, household costs continue to rise, and children lose access to school meals.
A Summer to Grow Together
At the same time, the Food Bank is responding in the face of shrinking federal food support, rising operating costs, and growing demand for food assistance.
More than 23,000 people (and counting) in Western Massachusetts have already lost SNAP benefits due to new federal regulations and administrative challenges. As a result, more individuals and families are turning to local food pantries and meal sites for help purchasing the food they need.
The Food Bank believes access to nutritious food is a basic right. Together, we can help make this summer easier for families throughout our region.
Financial support from our communities helps the Food Bank respond quickly by providing nutritious food directly to people who live with food insecurity and through our 200 local food assistance partners across the region.
Please consider a donation today.
Why This Moment
Several factors are converging at once:
- Federal food shipments through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are projected to decline by 33% this year, requiring the Food Bank to purchase significantly more food to help fill the gap.
- Fuel costs have increased by 40%, making it more expensive to transport food across our four counties.
- SNAP benefit losses and restrictions continue to push more people toward needing food assistance at the same time food supplies are decreasing and costs are rising.
SNAP remains our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. For every meal provided by food banks, SNAP helps provide nine.
The Food Bank cannot replace SNAP. No food bank can.
But with support from our community, we can help bridge the gap for families facing food insecurity this summer. Every donation helps the Food Bank provide nutritious food through our network of local food pantries, meal sites, and shelters across Western Massachusetts.
Please make a gift today and help ensure that people across Western Massachusetts can access the food they need without barriers or stigma.
