Boston launches campaign to fight food insecurity
WBZ-TV's Courtney Cole reports.
BOSTON - Help is on the way for many who are struggling to pay the bills and keep food on the table in our communities.
On Monday, WBZ took a closer look at the number of people receiving SNAP benefits from the state right now. As of July 2022, (the most recent data set published), there are 1,042,504 clients receiving SNAP. That's up by 82,093 people since last July.
The City of Boston is helping residents with their new campaign and launch of a special tool on Tuesday, November 15 at City Hall.
Hunger doesn't discriminate. "We are serving 600,000 clients a month through our distribution partners," said Cheryl Schondek, the Chief Operating Office of The Greater Boston Food Bank.
It's the largest hunger relief organization in New England.
According to a press release from Mayor Michelle Wu's office: in the 2022 fiscal year, the https://www.gbfb.org/need-food/ distributed a total of 24.6 million pounds of food through their network of over 100 food distribution partners in Boston. To put that into context, this is a 27% increase, compared to pre-pandemic distribution in 2019.
"In the last month--in October--the release of the inflation numbers went down slightly to 7.7%.
However, families are still experiencing over 12.5% increase. So, to go to the store to buy their food to meet the needs of their family, they can't afford it. They don't know if they have enough money to pay rent, to pay their fuel costs, to pay their medical expenses," Schondek explained.
Schondek told WBZ this is the highest increase in food costs they've seen in the 40 years they've been operating.
During this Thanksgiving Season, due to supply chain challenges, inflation, and the Avian flu, Schondek said turkeys are in short supply.
"So, if you can go donate a turkey to your local pantry in your neighborhood, that would be greatly appreciated," said Schondek.
The Chief Operating Officer told WBZ they released a study last summer that found one-in-three residents in Massachusetts are food insecure.
"That means they don't know where the next meal is coming from. One-in-three, there's a third of the population! 1.8 million people in the Commonwealth. That is a staggering statistic!" exclaimed Schondek.
Prior to the pandemic, she told Cole, that number was hovering around one-in-10 and even prior to that it was one-in-thirteen.
"We want to make sure that our residents are not ashamed, and our residents feel supported by the city," said Brianna Millor, the Chief of Community Engagement for the City of Boston.
Millor said The City of Boston launched the Find Your Pantry campaign, in collaboration with The Greater Boston Food Bank, to make sure neighbors know where and how to get the help they need -- all year-round.
One of the ways you can Find Your Pantry and resources you need is at this webpage: Boston.gov/find-pantry.
"You also can get connected with your neighborhood liaison. We have a neighborhood liaison for every single neighborhood in Boston and they connect you directly to a lot of the resources the city has to offer," Millor said.
In addition to the online option, you can also call 3-1-1.
"People are dealing with a lot right now. I want to make sure that being food insecure, is not one of them," Millor said.
The City of Boston will also launch a new kiosk on Tuesday, November 15th inside of City Hall.
The kiosk will allow residents to apply for and learn more about SNAP benefits.
It will be located on the Mezzanine Level, between the second and third floors.
The Greater Boston Food Bank works with more than 600 partner agencies throughout Eastern Massachusetts. If you want to contribute to that positive impact, they're always look for volunteers and staff members.
Check out how you can volunteer, here: https://www.gbfb.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Here's how you can become a member of their staff: https://www.gbfb.org/home/careers/
