According to the 2023 state-wide study on hunger in Massachusetts, as many as 1 in 3 children in Massachusetts (36%) experienced food insecurity at some point in 2022. Summer is a particularly difficult time for families facing hunger, since kids, teens, and even college students are not receiving the regular—often free or reduced-price—school meals they get when school is in session. Our Growing Healthy Futures campaign supports our commitment to distributing healthy meals so students and families have access to nutritious food all summer long so they can continue to grow, learn, and thrive.
Our collective efforts will sustain and bolster GBFB’s network of close to 600 dedicated hunger-relief agency partners and provide some relief for our neighbors in need most impacted by the loss of school meals, the end of Massachusetts’ supplemental emergency SNAP benefits and the persistently high inflation of the past two years.
You can still support our Growing Healthy Futures campaign by donating or starting an individual or team fundraiser* to help us improve the lives of families across our communities all year long.
START A FUNDRAISER | DONATE NOW
*For tips and resources to help you with your fundraiser, check out our Peer-to-Peer Toolkit!
In addition to raising the necessary funding to meet the critical demand, Growing Healthy Futures also builds awareness around childhood, student, and family hunger across Eastern Massachusetts. Your support will boost several of GBFB’s programs and initiatives that prioritize child-level, students, and families, including:
- Childhood Hunger – In the past year, our partner agencies still reported serving more than double the number of children served in 2019. Our nearly 600 distribution partners across Eastern MA support children and families with ongoing local distributions of accessible, healthy food.
- College Hunger – An astounding 37% of public university students in Massachusetts experience food insecurity. This percentage is even higher among students of color and students who are parents. GBFB co-leads the Massachusetts Hunger Free Campus Coalition (HFCC), which is working to leverage and expand existing resources and services to improve food access for low-income college students.
- Mobile Markets for K-12 Students and their Families – GBFB operates several Mobile Markets through partnerships with local school districts. Many of the families served by these Mobile Markets have children who participate in free and reduced-priced meal programs. These free food distributions are a critical resource during the summer months when school breakfast and lunch are unavailable.
- Family Meal Boxes – Family Meal Boxes reduce stress on agencies impacted by unexpected volunteer shortages and provide an uncomplicated solution for immediate and low-contact grab-and-go or drive-through distributions. Each box contains enough shelf-stable healthy food for approximately 26 meals.