The team at Merrimack Valley Food Bank believes in the importance of advocating for the people we serve who are struggling with food insecurity. Please see the information below about some of our current advocacy priorities. If you have any questions, please reach out via our Contact form.
Advocate for Increased MEFAP Funding: Support Hunger Relief in Massachusetts
What is MEFAP?
The Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) provides critical support to food banks and pantries across the Commonwealth, ensuring that thousands of individuals and families have access to nutritious food. MEFAP funding helps food assistance programs provide fresh, nutritious food to low-income people, including children, seniors, and individuals facing unemployment or other hardships.
Why is MEFAP funding crucial?
MEFAP funding is a lifeline for food banks across Massachusetts. It helps to bridge the gap for people who are struggling to make ends meet and ensures that food assistance programs can meet the growing demand. However, despite its importance, the funding for MEFAP has not kept pace with the rising need for food assistance in our communities.
All four Massachusetts food banks, including MVFB, rely on MEFAP to source fresh produce, dairy, meat, and other vital food items. Without sufficient funding, food banks will face more significant challenges in meeting the needs of our neighbors.
What Can You Do?
We need your help to advocate for increased MEFAP funding! The more voices we have speaking out, the stronger our message will be. Here’s how you can get involved:
- Contact Your Legislators: Let your elected officials know that increased MEFAP funding is a priority for you. You can reach out to your state senator and representative and encourage them to support funding for MEFAP in the state budget. You can find sample messages in our tool kit below!
MVFB’s MEFAP Advocacy Tool Kit: MEFAP Advocacy Templates
Find your State Representatives
- Donate: While advocating for increased funding, your financial support helps us continue our mission to provide food to those in need, whether MEFAP funding increases or not. Every donation counts.
Proposed Federal SNAP cuts threaten food security for thousands in the Merrimack Valley.
What is SNAP?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital lifeline for millions of low-income individuals and families across the country. It helps to ensure that people have access to the food they need to stay healthy and thrive. SNAP supports more than 40 million Americans, including children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.
Why Are SNAP Cuts a Problem?
Recent proposals to cut SNAP funding threaten to push millions of people into deeper food insecurity. If these cuts go through, vulnerable populations like children, seniors, and working families will face even greater challenges in accessing nutritious food. In our community, these cuts could mean that thousands of individuals and families who rely on SNAP to meet their basic needs will struggle to put food on the table.
Without SNAP, the strain on local food banks will only grow, as we simply cannot meet the demand for emergency food assistance alone. These cuts would put unnecessary pressure on our already overstretched systems. For every one meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine. So, even a 10% cut to federal SNAP benefits would mean the charitable sector would have to double its response to hunger to meet the same need.
What Can You Do?
We need your voice! You can take action today to help protect SNAP and ensure that our neighbors in need continue to have access to this critical resource. Here’s how you can get involved:
- Contact Your Representatives: Call, email, or write to your elected officials to let them know that cutting SNAP is unacceptable. Your voice matters in shaping the policies that affect our community. Find sample messages in our tool kit below!
MVFB’s SNAP Advocacy Tool Kit: SNAP Advocacy Template
Find your Federal Representatives
- Donate: Your financial contribution can help us provide essential resources, even if SNAP funding is reduced. Every dollar helps provide meals to those in need.