Get the Facts
The latest data on food insecurity in Massachusetts
A holistic response
Project Bread is committed to listening and learning from the communities we serve, aiming to reduce bias rather than replicate it.
Understanding food insecurity — who it impacts, how it impacts, and how people access help — is critical to inform equitable policy priorities and our programmatic response.
We recognize and uphold the right of marginalized communities to have the resources they need to break down barriers and inform the best way to meet their own needs.
The Facts
For every meal a food bank can provide, SNAP provides nine
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.
102% increase
Massachusetts has experienced the largest relative increase of food-insecure individuals in the nation due to COVID-19. And the highest increase of food-insecure children at 102%, according to analysis by Feeding America,
16.6% of households
With record unemployment, lost wages, and many having little-to-no savings to protect them from the economic impact of COVID-19, food insecurity has skyrocketed from 8.4% of households, to 16.6% of households as of July.
1 in 5 households with children
Children are among the most vulnerable to hunger. As of July, Black and Latinx households with children are twice as likely to face hunger than white households with children.
Race and food insecurity
People of color are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. In June, nearly 1 in 8 white households versus over 1 in 5 Black households and nearly in 1 in 3 Latinx households were food insecure.
Food insecurity has lasting consequences
You can give children and families access to healthy food to help them thrive every day.
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