Statewide Hunger Summit

I had the privilege to attend the first ever state-sponsored Hunger Summit aimed at identifying and recommending best practices to address the hunger crisis in Massachusetts. The event took place on March 27th at UMASS Boston and featured remarks from Mayor Thomas Menino, Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman James McGovern, as well as a panel discussion by state and national food and nutrition experts.

The day-long summit was the first of its kind in Massachusetts because, unlike previous efforts, it was hosted by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). This effort speaks to the commitment of the current administration to address what has been called “an epidemic” of hunger in the Commonwealth.

The hunger crisis in Massachusetts is expanding rapidly beyond the poor. As Governor Patrick stated at the summit: “The middle class is one month away from being poor and deeply anxious about it […] one layoff away, one serious illness away.”

Some of the statistics provided during the summit were very alarming. For instance, Mayor Thomas Menino spoke to the soaring prices of food, citing that the price of a gallon of milk has increased 80 cents in recent months and, currently at $37, the high cost of a sack of flour contributes to the 25% increase in the price paid for a loaf of bread. However, the average food stamp benefit for an individual in Boston is $21 and, as the Mayor demonstrated in a recent challenge $21 is not enough to feed a person for a week... much less with nutricious food.

See Mayor Menino try to shop on $21 a week in this video

Then, families must also factor in the reported:

• 93.6% increase in heating oil costs,
• 50% in natural gas, and
• 21.2% in the cost of electricity,

which forces families and individuals to prioritize which bills to pay, most often at the expense of their food purchases. This phenomenon is known as the “Heat or Eat” dilemma and, regretfully, it affects our children disproportionately. See: Balancing Acts: Energy Insecurity Among Low-Income Babies and Toddlers.

Luckily, not all the news were bad news. Officials reported that, after many years of notoriety for low food stamp participation, the Commonwealth’s food stamp enrollment rates have improved by 82% in the last year. This dramatic increase further speaks to the cross-sector commitment, and has been the result of collaborative work done by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the Food Stamp Access Coalition and DTA.

Although some of the figures are downright scary, I found this forum to be an inspiring experience. It brought together the public and private sector to think about how hunger affects all of us, and to develop a concerted strategy in the fight against food insecurity. The lead of DTA showcases their ongoing commitment to work on this issue, and makes this an auspicious time to address this crisis.