Protecting Food Security in Western Massachusetts Amid Federal Funding Cuts
March 31, 2025
Media Contact: Deb Ondo, Communications and Engagement Manager, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts debo@foodbankwma.org Phone: 413-419-0170.
Protecting Food Security in Western Massachusetts Amid Federal Funding Cuts
[Chicopee, MA] – Last week, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts received notice of its first federal funding cut this year. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled some food deliveries to the Food Bank through August, amounting to approximately $440,000 worth of food. While this loss of federal food represents only 1% of the Food Bank’s total distribution last year, the non-profit will now need to make up for this shortfall by drawing on its emergency reserves to purchase food. Based in Chicopee, the Food Bank is the main supplier of nutritious food to the region’s food assistance network of 194 local food pantries, meal sites, and shelters in all four counties of Western Massachusetts.
Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank, stated, “People turn to food assistance due to high costs for basics like groceries, housing, healthcare, and childcare. When the economy fails to meet people’s needs, the federal government must step in. Now more than ever, the Food Bank needs more—not less—federal support.”
The Food Bank is also closely monitoring potential cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Approximately 194,000 individuals in Western Massachusetts rely on SNAP to help put food on their tables. Any reduction in SNAP benefits will increase hardship for working people earning low wages and seniors living on fixed incomes, who will turn to our region’s food assistance network, which is already operating at full capacity.
SNAP brings an estimated $35 million in federal support to our region each month. These dollars sustain families and strengthen our local economy. Grocers, farmers, and other food suppliers depend on the stability that SNAP provides to hire employees who live in Western Massachusetts. Potential cuts to SNAP and other critical federal programs, including school meals, Medicaid, and USDA food assistance to food banks, would have a ripple effect throughout our entire community.
The high cost of living, unpredictable policy changes, and diminished federal support pose a significant threat to the well-being of people in every town and city in Western Massachusetts. Without adequate investment, not only will individuals go hungry, but the entire food economy — from food banks to grocers to farms — will be severely impacted. “The federal government should focus on addressing the high cost of living, rather than taking food away from people who can’t afford it,” said Morehouse.
Municipal officials as well as state and federal legislators across Western Massachusetts understand the critical importance of food security to the health and well-being of our communities. We urge the public to contact their representatives and senators and urge them to continue to do everything possible to protect federal nutrition programs and prevent a worsening crisis.
About the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts: Since 1982, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has been a dedicated partner in the work to end hunger. We deliver nutritious food directly through our Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bag: Food for Elders programs, and we support our region’s food assistance network of food pantries, meal programs, and shelters across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties. We also engage in public education and advocacy to address the drivers of hunger because we believe everyone deserves access to nutritious food.