With the federal shutdown creating uncertainty for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food pantries throughout MetroWest are trying to fill the gap for the more than 1 million Massachusetts residents who rely on the program to buy groceries.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined those from 22 other states on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins of unlawfully suspending the food assistance program that serves more than 40 million Americans.
State Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, D-Holliston, who led the USDA’s Northeast Food and Nutrition Service during a 2013 government shutdown, said the agency has previously used emergency funds to sustain SNAP benefits and could do so again. Sure enough, two federal judges ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP using contingency funds during the government shutdown.
“SNAP is a lifeline to over 1,800 residents in the towns (Holliston, Hopkinton, Sherborn and Millis) I serve,” Arena-DeRosa wrote in an email. “President Trump says this situation is ‘not an emergency’ — tell that to the people whose benefits will run out and will be stressed trying to feed their families.”’The well has run dry’: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture says SNAP benefits won’t go out on Nov. 1
The lawsuit comes as Gov. Maura Healey faces pressure from advocates like the Make Hunger History Coalition to tap the state’s $8 billion rainy day fund to offset potential losses. Instead, her administration and the United Way of Massachusetts launched the United Response Fund last week to support local food providers and other community-based organizations.
Greater Boston Food Bank revives direct distribution strategy
But with federal benefits at risk, local food banks are becoming the backbone for hunger relief.
“We’ve been averaging about 200 new families a month, but in the past few weeks we’ve seen an additional 20 to 30 new families every single day,” said Joe Mina, program director at the Pearl Street Cupboard & Café for the United Way of Tri-County.
Based in Framingham, the pantry serves as a regional hub for food distribution, supplying nearly 30 smaller pantries through its cross-dock network. The operation distributes roughly a quarter-million pounds of food each month, receiving donations from more than 250 supermarkets, restaurants and food producers through its partnership with Feeding America.’Creating needless fear’: Campbell, other AGs sue Trump administration over SNAP benefit suspension
To meet rising demand, the Greater Boston Food Bank is reviving its direct distribution strategy, first launched during the pandemic to send pallets of food directly to partners like the United Way of Tri-County. The effort, a GBFB spokesperson said, will help food reach communities faster as SNAP funding remains uncertain.
“The number of clients keeps going up while the resources available to us keep going down,” Mina explained. “Leaders have to think about their constituency and the people they represent — you want to make sure families are taken care of, not make it part of a political backlog.”
Local programs can’t replace sustained federal support
State leaders acknowledged that even strong local programs can’t replace sustained federal support.
“Feeding children, families and individuals has consistently been one of the Legislature’s top priorities,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, wrote in an email. “That said, no state can permanently sustain the hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term SNAP funding that the federal government is deliberately withholding.”
That challenge is already playing out in Hopkinton, where Project Just Because founder President Cherylann Walsh said her pantry, which serves about 900 families a week, has been inundated with calls from residents who say their benefits were cut or delayed.
“I had 19 emails this morning alone,” Walsh said Wednesday, Oct. 29. “One mother told me she skips meals so that what she gets can stretch far enough to feed her children.”Fees waived: DoorDash, Gopuff launch emergency food responses for SNAP recipients
The pantry receives about 16,000 pounds of food each week from GBFB, supplemented by donations from Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop and other grocers. Still, Walsh said her seven-person team is struggling to keep up as demand spikes and suppliers face the same squeeze.
“Before, what they received from SNAP could carry them through the week, and we were simply a supplement,” said Ashley Dasilva, Project Just Because’s warehouse manager and multilingual interpreter. “Now, we’re their primary source of food.”
Food insecurity is at ‘the forefront of public conversation’
In Franklin, Tina Powderly, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry, said she registered as many new clients in a single day this week as she typically does in a month.
“The threat to SNAP benefits has brought food insecurity to the forefront of public conversation,” Powderly said. “But the reality is that the demand has been rising sharply for months. People are losing their jobs, housing costs are at historic highs, and health insurance premiums are skyrocketing.”EBT cards will still work: Unused SNAP money is expected to roll over into November
To meet that need, the Franklin pantry is purchasing food directly from wholesalers and extending hours to help new clients with registration and assistance programs. Powderly said financial donations are the most effective support because the pantry can purchase food tax-free and at steep discounts.
In Maynard, Open Table, a pantry serving 21 communities, has added 40 new households in the past four days, roughly four times its usual pace. Executive Director Alexandra DePalo said the organization serves nearly 10,000 households a year, many of whom visit weekly for groceries or prepared meals.
“Even with SNAP, people already rely on us,” she said. “The food pantries are equipped to provide additional support for families and community members. We’re not equipped to be the sole provider of food benefit dollars.”
Even with the lawsuit pending, gaps in food assistance remain likely if the shutdown persists. Other states, including New York and California, have already committed emergency funds to cover missing SNAP benefits. For now, MetroWest pantries are counting on community donations.
“For every call there’s been asking for help,” DePalo said, “there’s been another asking how they can help.”