GBFB Applauds Governor Baker and MA State Legislature for Prioritizing Hunger-Relief Investments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GBFB Applauds Governor Baker and MA State Legislature for Prioritizing Hunger-Relief Investments

BOSTON – (August 1, 2022) – Last week, Governor Charlie Baker signed the fiscal year 2023 budget for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that included several important hunger-relief investments. We join with everyone in the anti-hunger community in applauding the Baker Administration and our State Legislature for delivering a budget that prioritized food security for the residents of Massachusetts.

Our state continues to grapple with unprecedented levels of need, beginning with the pandemic in 2020, food insecurity surged to unprecedented levels and continues to be exacerbated by the highest inflation we have seen in over 40 years, supply chain disruptions and other global issues.

A few of the FY23 State Budget hunger-relief investments include:

• Full funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP)
• Funding for Universal School Meals for the 2022/23 school year
• Additional financial assistance to local anti-hunger initiatives across the state
• Year-round funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
• An increase in cash assistance for low-income families

These investments, combined with the MassHealth/SNAP application integration, will assist the estimated 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents who identified as being food insecure during the past year in getting the help they need.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. In response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, GBFB distributed the equivalent of nearly 97 million meals in fiscal year 2021 through its network of 600 dedicated food distribution partners and programs in the 190 cities and towns across Eastern Massachusetts. A member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, GBFB’s mission is to end hunger here and it is committed to providing at least three healthy meals a day to everyone in need. For more information, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200.

Media Contact
Catherine Lynn
GBFB
VP, Communications and Public Affairs
617.828.7422
press@gbfb.org