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Advocate Hunger in America can be solved. It takes leadership and political will. Ending hunger will require that the public and private sectors join in a determined partnership to address the economic, political, and personal barriers that contribute to hunger. You have a role. In addition to making a financial contribution, volunteering and/or donating food, you can let our politicians know that you also want them to be engaged in solving the issue. Here's how you can help!
Posted March 2008: Please ask your state legislators to support the $1 million supplemental budget request for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP).
While we benefit from the generosity of many food producers and retailers as well as the compassion and philanthropy of more than 20,000 supporters, the nation’s social safety net, of which food banks are an integral part, is being strained due to a menacing combination of food supply and demand factors. The Greater Boston Food Bank, perhaps, has been more fortunate than many other food banks (some of which have resorted to distributing staples reserved for disaster relief) because of the additional funding it receives from the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) that was established in 1995 to supplement the dramatic decrease in funding that the state’s food banks receive from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). MEFAP has allowed The Food Bank to purchase and distribute food that is critical to eligible emergency food providers, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters as well as sponsor nutrition education initiatives. After years of level funding, Massachusetts’ legislators doubled our state’s emergency food program spending in 2006, however, sadly this new level was not maintained in the current fiscal year which also happens to be a time that we the additional assistance more than ever. Therefore, we hope you will contact your state legislators and ask them for their leadership and help in getting $1 million in funding restored to the current budget for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) to ensure that we receive the same level of funding ($12 million total) that we received in FY07. Thank you for your support! Click here for a sample letter (MS Word) you can personalize and send to your legislators. Click here for the names and contact information for your local legislators.
Here are links to other organizations dedicated to the cause as well as links to elected officials throughout Massachusetts who may need to be alerted about a specific call for action at any given time in support of hungry citizens in our region. Recent legislation: America's Second Harvest Food Research and Action Center Write your public officials: Massachusetts State Government/Governor Patrick Massachusetts State Legislature Massachusetts Democratic Party Massachusetts Republican Party National Governors Association United States Conference of Mayors |
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