State Braces For Hunger Crisis As Trump SNAP Cuts Bite

 HARWICH – By some estimates, SNAP — the federal program once called Food Stamps — feeds 10 times as many people nationally as nonprofit food pantries do. Now that the Trump administration is cutting back SNAP and other food aid programs, there’s a real danger that thousands of Massachusetts families will soon be experiencing food insecurity for the first time.

 On Tuesday, Gov. Maura Healey visited the Family Pantry of Cape Cod on Queen Anne Road to discuss the new Massachusetts Anti-hunger Task Force, which she created by executive order last week. The group, which includes state officials, lawmakers and nonprofit advocates, will make recommendations on ways the state can help fill short-term gaps in the hunger safety net while looking at ways to reduce hunger in the long term.

 “We’re going to draw on everybody’s ideas. There are organizations, operations that have been doing things incredibly well. We want to make sure that we’re getting the best practices, the best ideas out there, and that we’re also able to leverage resources” in light of federal cuts, Healey said. 

Healey said it’s noteworthy that the Family Pantry serves on average more than 800 families each week.

 “That’s 800 families who need help. Hunger is on the rise in this country. Groceries have gotten more expensive. The cost of everything has gotten more expensive,” the governor said. Legislation signed by President Trump two weeks ago is expected to cut $200 billion from food security programs, she said. “They are literally taking food off of people’s tables, and that’s going to hurt so many people. But in Massachusetts, we’re here to respond.”

 Accompanying Healey on a tour of the Family Pantry was State Sen. Julian Cyr, D–Provincetown, who said many people are deceived by the idyllic appearance of Cape Cod summers.

 “The reality is that 34 percent of Cape Codders and islanders face food insecurity,” Cyr said. There are “beautiful beaches and vacations and all the rest, but the people who make your vacation possible...the year-round folks who are living here — really kind of hanging on —  are so reliant on organizations like the Family Pantry,” he said. 

 State Rep. Hadley Luddy, D–Orleans, agreed. Luddy, who is also the CEO of the Orleans-based Homeless Prevention Council, said nonprofit social service groups will be playing a more important role than ever. 

“The Fourth Barnstable District is so lucky to have an incredible safety net of resources that are available to help in our community,” she said. The Family Pantry serves clients from all around Cape Cod and beyond, and partners with the Lower Cape Outreach Council, which operates nine food pantries on the Lower Cape.

 All of the pantries will be feeling the pinch of federal budget cuts, Family Pantry Executive Director Paul Lonergan said.

 “We are fully supported by donations, and we purchase from those who have cuts in the future, so the costs will go up,” he said. Because the Pantry buys much of its food from the Greater Boston Food Bank, it can purchase groceries at bulk prices. While cuts to SNAP will drive more people to visit food pantries, cuts to other programs will make it more expensive for large food banks to purchase items used by community-based pantries.

 Healey said she intentionally did not give the new Hunger Task Force a deadline for its work.

 “This is something we need to start with today and just continue on through [until] we really eradicate hunger from our state,” she said. The task force will not be charged with creating a “fancy report,” but will be judged for how effectively it increases the number of Massachusetts residents being fed and decreases food insecurity numbers. “What I’m looking for is action,” the governor said.

 Healey stopped short of saying she will seek more budget funds to directly support organizations like food pantries, saying they will need to continue to evaluate the need. 

 “I continue to stay in touch with my legislative colleagues about what’s happening with funding,” she said. “We’re tracking federal funding very, very closely, and obviously we have an obligation to make sure that we are targeting and taking care of our most vulnerable residents, you know, little kids who are poor and hungry, seniors who are poor and hungry, people with disabilities, veterans. There are a lot of people out there who need food.”

 Across the state, but particularly on Cape Cod, the problem of hunger is closely linked to the housing shortage, with many families forced to choose between paying the rent or buying groceries.

 “We’ve got to build more housing all over the state, including on Cape Cod, where the housing crisis is particularly acute,” Healey said. She is optimistic that the new Seasonal Communities designations created under the Affordable Homes Act will provide some relief. Signed into law a year ago, the legislation authorizes $5.16 billion in spending over the next five years along with nearly 50 policy initiatives to counter rising housing costs in communities with seasonal workforces, like those on Cape Cod. “That will give us some more opportunities to bring more housing units online more quickly,” the governor said.

 “You’ve got a lot of people who are working their tails off, two or three jobs, and they’ll do all they can to put food on their table,” she said. “But when fall comes and winter comes, we know what happens with that seasonal work on the Cape. And that’s when you see people turn to the food pantries.”