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Hunger Day on the Hill Lobbying Effort Seeks Support of State Emergency Food Assistance Program

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 12:01 CDT

Emergency food providers from across the state will rally Tuesday at the State House for "Hunger Day on the Hill," an intensive lobbying effort by the state's food banks and hunger-relief agencies to bring awareness of the issue of hunger to the Legislature and to protect funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP). Hunger Day on the Hill is scheduled at 11 a.m. in Nurses Hall at The State House.

"The four Massachusetts regional food banks are now serving nearly 500,000 people a year," said Catherine D'Amato, president and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank. "Hunger remains a silent epidemic that continues to worsen in our state. The Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program is one of the critical components in the fight to end hunger."

Last March The Greater Boston Food Bank released Hunger in Massachusetts 2006, its quadrennial hunger survey. The study, the most comprehensive survey of hunger ever undertaken in the state, reported that the four Massachusetts food banks are serving 464,000 people annually, a 14% increase since 2001 and nearly double the number since 1997.

Representatives from the food banks and the nearly 800 hunger-relief agencies throughout the state will converge on the State House Tuesday to seek level funding of the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) for fiscal year 2008.

"MEFAP remains essential to feeding the hungry in Massachusetts," said Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. "Private food donations can't fill the gap. With private food donations, we don't know what we're going to get, when we're going to get it, or how much we're going to get. MEFAP helps us provide a stable supply of the fundamentals of a healthy diet such as tuna, peanut butter, eggs, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables."

MEFAP, which had been level funded at $7.2 million since FY1999, was increased by the Legislature to $13.2 million in FY2007. In FY2007, the four regional food banks project distributing 18,642,000 MEFAP pounds or the equivalent of 14, 340,000 meals. Established in 1995, the MEFAP program funds the purchase of food exclusively from Massachusetts manufacturers, distributors, and farmers.

"With the increase in the number of hungry people we're feeding and the jump in food prices in the last eight years, the MEFAP increase was long overdue," said Amy Pessia, Executive Director of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. "Local pantries now can provide a family of three a grocery bag of food that will provide four to five days worth of meals. Prior to the increase, we could only provide enough food for two to three days, and many of the nutrient-rich foods were only available on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is vital that the Legislature level fund MEFAP for fiscal 2008."

MEFAP funding only covers 14 cents per pound of the nearly 30-cent-per-pound cost of purchasing, warehousing, and distributing MEFAP food. Since MEFAP's inception, all four regional food banks have subsidized the per-pound cost of the state program with privately raised donations.

"MEFAP is an excellent example of the public and private sector working together to maximize limited resources to feed the hungry throughout our state," said D'Amato.

Combined The Greater Boston Food Bank, Worcester County Food Bank, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Merrimack Valley Food Bank serve approximately 800 local charitable agencies. From FY2001 to FY2006, the number of pounds of food distributed annually by Massachusetts food banks has increased 36% from 28 million pounds to 38.2 million. That is equivalent to nearly 30 million meals.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank

The Greater Boston Food Bank distributes more than 25 million pounds of food annually to more than 600 hunger-relief agencies in a dedicated partnership to end hunger in eastern Massachusetts. The Food Bank serves 83,000 people each week. For more information about The Greater Boston Food Bank, visit www.gbfb.org or call 617-427-5200.

Source: Business Wire

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