Gov. Baker and MA State Legislature Prioritize Hunger-Relief Investments

Governor Charlie Baker signed the fiscal year 2023 budget for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that included several important hunger-relief investments. GBFB joins with everyone in the anti-hunger community in applauding the Baker Administration and our State Legislature for delivering a budget that prioritized food security for the residents of Massachusetts.

Our state continues to grapple with unprecedented levels of need. Beginning with the pandemic in 2020, food insecurity surged to unprecedented levels and continues to be exacerbated by the highest inflation in over 40 years, supply chain disruptions and other global issues.

A few of the FY23 State Budget hunger-relief investments include:

• Full funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP)
• Funding for Universal School Meals for the 2022/23 school year
• Additional financial assistance to local anti-hunger initiatives across the state
• Year-round funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
• An increase in cash assistance for low-income families

These investments, combined with the MassHealth/SNAP application integration, will assist the estimated 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents who identified as being food insecure during the past year in getting the help they need.