The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield, MA writes:

U.S. Senate leaders are currently considering legislation that would cut benefits available to struggling families through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

This legislation has been proposed as part of the pending American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes and Preventing Outsourcing Act (H.R. 4213) (“extenders bill”).

The proposed cuts to SNAP could reduce the amount of support that hungry families receive to put food on their tables by as much as $45 per month. For the hundreds of thousands of families in Massachusetts that are facing hunger, these cuts would mean more days without enough to eat.

Food hardship — what families experience when they don’t have enough money to buy the food they need — is a national problem. In Massachusetts, food hardship rates are at 16.3%, according to a report compiled by the Food Research and Action Center.

More than 114,000 people in Western Massachusetts receive support through SNAP to help feed their families — that’s about one in every eight residents of our region. Without the safety net provided by SNAP benefits, these families would face severe hunger or chronic food insecurity.

Now is not the time to roll back an essential program that helps fight hunger.

TAKE ACTION

Please contact Senators Brown and Kerry, and House Representatives, to ask them to reject any cuts to SNAP funding in the extenders bill.

Click here to find out how to contact Massachusetts Senators and Representatives.

About The Food Bank

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is the leading provider of emergency food that reaches individuals and families with lower incomes in western Massachusetts. In addition, The Food Bank is working with the community to develop strategies that will reduce the number of people in the four counties of western MA who must rely on emergency food. The Food Bank seeks to make nutritious and affordable food accessible to all residents in our region.

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Inc.
PO Box 160, 97 North Hatfield Road
Hatfield, Massachusetts 01038-0160
(413) 247-9738
www.foodbankwma.org