A Message from Catherine D'Amato, GBFB's President and CEO: In recent weeks, we've all experienced a profound shift across the country. No one is feeling it more sharply than those struggling to get enough food to eat. People in Eastern Massachusetts—our neighbors—are depending more than ever on The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) and the 600 Agency Partners to whom we provide free, healthy food so they can feed their communities. That means we are depending more than ever on you. As a GBFB donor and advocate, you know that your gift literally puts meals on tables and keeps people in our communities from going hungry. Major cuts have been made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's funding for local food purchasing and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). With these cuts, GBFB is losing nearly $2.3 million in emergency food resources—including chicken, eggs, fruits, and vegetables—and our state lost $12 million to buy local products. More cuts, including to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), could result in an estimated $534 million loss for Massachusetts alone. This poses a severe threat to food security across the state and will drive an increasing reliance on the emergency hunger-relief network at a scale that far exceeds the current capacity of our system. According to the June 2024 GBFB-Mass General Brigham Food Equity and Access Study, 34% of our neighbors do not have enough food to get through the month. This rate is higher than it was in 2020, and it will undoubtedly increase in the weeks and months ahead if we do not intervene. Federal and state policy changes are not new. We cannot wait and hope that things will remain the same. We must take action to shore up access to food to meet our neighbors' basic needs as we weather this time in our history. Every gift, no matter the amount, brings GBFB one step closer to bridging this funding gap. Please consider donating today at GBFB.org/Meals (fb)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has canceled $3.3 million worth of federal food assistance in Massachusetts, jeopardizing vital food supplies for neighbors in need across the state. For GBFB, this means 105,000 cases of healthy food—including chicken, milk, eggs, and fresh produce—will no longer reach the tables of those who rely on us the most. “We either have to raise the money to replace the product, or we have to encourage our state legislature to increase the state commodity program by that amount of money,” said GBFB President & CEO Catherine D’Amato. How can you help? Every $1 you donate provides 2 meals to a family in need. Donate today to help us keep food on the table for our neighbors at GBFB.org/Meals. A special thanks to WCVB and many others for highlighting this critical issue: https://www.wcvb.com/article/usda-cuts-greater-boston-food-bank/64313136 (fb)