Hunger & Food Insecurity in Massachusetts

Understanding the issue

In support of our mission to end hunger in Massachusetts, we use internal and external data to inform our direct service programs and to make evidence-based policy recommendations.

We believe scientific evidence is critical in promoting equity and so we prioritize providing inclusive and accurate statistics. Our research and analyses is based on our efforts to ensure that we are using the highest quality data available.

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Overall Trend

In Massachusetts, the rate of food insecurity remains higher than it was pre-pandemic.

Recent data show that food insecurity is beginning to rise at the state-level coinciding with the end of several pandemic-specific federal benefits programs. However, the current rate is still lower than that of the May 2020 and December 2020 peaks.

Source: U.S. Household Pulse Survey weeks 2-43

Child Hunger

Food insecurity among households with children has been slowly rising from a low in April.

In May 2020, a staggering 23.6% of households with children in Massachusetts were food insecure. Recent trends show that food insecurity among households with children in Massachusetts has risen, inching closer to the rates we saw at the onset of the pandemic, and moving further away from the low we saw in April 2021 when families were receiving a whole host of federal and state level benefits. Indeed, as of early March 2022, an estimated 21% of households with children are facing food insecurity; a significant increase from the low in April 2021.

Source: US Census Household Pulse Survey

Inequities

BIPOC households are recovering from the pandemic significantly slower than white households.

BIPOC households are recovering from the pandemic significantly slower than white households. In the last 6 months (October 2021 - March 2022), 1 in 7 (15.3%) white households with children compared to more than 1 in 3 (33%) Black households with children and 1 in 4 (27.6%) Latino/a households with children were food insecure.

Source: US Census Household Pulse Survey

Policy Impact

Majority of Child Tax Credit Spent on Basic Needs & Debt

An estimated 70% of households in Massachusetts that received the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in July spent the payment on food, rent, utilities, or debt. The highest category was food, underscoring the importance of the CTC in helping families in Massachusetts. We support making the expansion of the CTC permanent so households with children continue to receive support in meeting their needs.

Note: Table percentages total more than 100 because respondents were allowed to choose more than one category.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey week 34

SNAP Trends

SNAP enrollment has increased substantially since the onset of the pandemic.

SNAP has been a powerhouse during the pandemic to help individuals and families afford food. As of January 2022, Massachusetts has surpassed 1 million SNAP recipients in the state. Enrollment data show that Massachusetts continues to see increases in SNAP enrollment. As of January 2022, enrollment is 27.9% higher than it was in February 2020.

Source: Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance

The importance of SNAP

SNAP provides 9 meals for every 1 meal a food bank provides

The federal nutrition program, SNAP, is our country’s most effective and efficient response to hunger. Only SNAP has the ability to quickly scale up to meet any size of need. SNAP is proven to reduce food insecurity and lift people out of poverty.

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Our latest Research

Barriers to SNAP

During the pandemic, state and federal actions to remove barriers and strengthen SNAP have helped many people access and afford food.

Indications that food insecurity is beginning to decline, with SNAP possibly having a role, brings urgency to our research to measure SNAP awareness, understand the perceptions that may impact a person’s willingness to enroll in the program, and learn about the experiences of residents when using SNAP benefits.

Explore our research findings, released August 2021, informing our recommendations to dismantle any barriers that persist between those eligible but not enrolled, that may contribute to SNAP’s underutilization.

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COVID-19 Response

How were food insecure households getting food during the pandemic?

SNAP was by far the biggest support. Roughly 1 in 3 food insecure households with children in Massachusetts were receiving SNAP. School meals were the next biggest support for families, who turned to free summer and school meal sites to help feed their children and take some of the pressure off their grocery budget. From September 2020 to June 2021, over 93 million free school meals were served to students, according to meal participation data from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

In close partnership with DESE and Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Project Bread leads not only SNAP outreach efforts for the state but provides state-wide support for school meals and the summer feeding program, Summer Eats. The two programs providing the most support to food insecure families during the pandemic.

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