Across Massachusetts, food aid organizations and public officials are stocking up resources and calling for donations as the state’s over 1.1 million SNAP recipients barrel towards the end of their funding on Nov. 1 — aiming to do their best to meet an “impossible” crisis.
“SNAP is our nation’s best defense against hunger,” the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) stated. “There is no way our charitable food network here in Massachusetts can provide enough food to replace this essential program. It’s an impossible task both financially and logistically.”
Amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Trump administration announced it will not distribute monthly SNAP benefits on Nov. 1. The stoppage of the food aid benefits is unprecedented; SNAP benefits have never been cut off during previous government shutdowns.
Massachusetts receives over $210 million every month in SNAP benefits to distribute to over 1.1 million recipients, according to state leaders. Recipients are 32% are children, 26% seniors, and 31% people with disabilities.
SNAP funding makes up $1 of every $5 spent in Massachusetts grocery stores, supporting the state’s economy, according to the GBFB. If benefits are cut off, the organization said, they anticipate up to 56 million additional meal requests in November alone — more than four times what food banks across the system currently distribute.
“Hunger is not a problem that philanthropy alone can solve, but for those who are able and inclined to provide financial support, giving to food banks is one way people can help,” said GBFB. … “GBFB and our 600 food distribution partners here in Eastern Massachusetts are here to help. We have a very durable network of food pantries and meal programs that will do everything we can to provide as much healthy food as possible to our neighbors in this time of great need.”
La Colaborativa, a nonprofit service in Chelsea, said they opened their food pantry on Saturday for just 2 and a half hours and had over 1,000 people show up. The organization called the upcoming SNAP cut “devastating” especially to veterans, seniors and mixed-status families.
“Our organization is doing everything possible to prepare for this moment, but we cannot do it alone,” said La Colaborativa President Gladys Vega. “We need a collective commitment from the government, businesses, and the broader community to ensure that every person in Massachusetts has access to basic nutrition and dignity.”
In the face of the SNAP benefits end, United Way has partnered with state officials to “mitigate impacts from federal delays.” The 13 United Way locations across Massachusetts have set up a United Response Fund to “rapidly respond” to the crisis, noting they are state’s largest anti-hunger program serving over 1 million people.
The Massachusetts Salvation Army said they anticipate an demand will continue increasing “through the end of 2025 and into 2026” and called on anyone able to continue to support “life-changing services to our neighbors in need.”
Project Bread has a launched Food Source Hotline, 1-800-645-8333, running during the government shutdown for residents facing hunger. The hotline can provide information about local food resources and put residents in touch with a Project Bread counselor.
“Project Bread is hearing from more and more of these families every day,” said Erin McAleer, president of Project Bread. “They are calling us because they are consumed with worry about having enough to eat. Choosing not to continue SNAP is an act of cruelty that puts politics above people. It is not negligence, it is deliberate and willful damage to those who are already struggling to make ends meet.”
Numerous organizations with the Make Hunger History Coalition, along with AG Andrea Campbell, organized a rally calling on support amid the threat to SNAP benefits on the State House steps Tuesday.
“This situation is fluid, but as it stands today: The Trump Administration should act immediately to fully fund SNAP for November — USDA has emergency funds intended for this exact situation,” the coalition, led by Project Bread, wrote Monday. “If the federal government fails to do this quickly, then Massachusetts must step up and tap the estimated $8 billion Rainy Day Fund or other state resources to fund SNAP in November.”
The Trump’s administration has rejected the idea of using some $5 billion in contingency money to keep providing the federal cash for food, saying that reserve is limited to expenses such as help after disasters. The Feds posted a notice over the weekend alerting officials that if the shutdown does not end, it will not distribute benefits on Nov. 1.
Leaders across the state called the decision to end SNAP benefits “appalling,” a “long-term health crisis” and “purposeful cruelty” following the announcement last week.
City officials also moved to feed those in need on a local level. Both the city of Lawrence and Methuen launched food drives in response to the SNAP threat, calling on residents to “support your neighbors.”
“The federal government shutdown may be a partisan political issue, but its effect on the ground here in Methuen is not,” said Methuen Mayor David Beauregard. “We have families and neighbors who are going to go hungry, and our city government will not stand idly by while that happens.”
The Methuen Cares Food Drive began collecting donations at eight locations and city leaders said food distribution will begin on Nov. 1 at the Methuen Senior Center. Likewise, Lawrence called for donations to the Citywide Emergency Food and Goods Drive at 530 Broadway, with Mayor Brian DePeña noting the city has “always risen to the challenge.”
In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu said the city is planning for the “really serious additional weight on so many families.”
“There’s a lot of planning going on to see what we can do to try to fill in some of the gaps, at least on a temporary basis,” Wu said at an unrelated event Monday, calling on residents to hold the Trump administration accountable. “But this is part of the function of the federal government we have relied on for decades and decades as a guarantee that an American in the United States of America today should be able to feed their family and have supports when you need it.”
Residents line up at the La Colaborativa food pantry on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of La Colaborativa)
