Statement on Potential
Government Shutdown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement on Potential Government Shutdown from Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO at
The Greater Boston Food Bank

BOSTON (September 30, 2025)
A shutdown will impact federal nutrition programs, federal employees, and people who work for federal contractors. The numbers tell the story. Bristol County—home to an estimated 5,000 federal workers—has a food insecurity rate of 46%, while Suffolk County—where about 7,000 federal workers live—has a rate of 49%. The overlap of high food insecurity rates in these counties underscores how disruptive a shutdown could be for vulnerable households in our region.

These disruptions will force federally employed residents to turn to their local food pantries, who rely on The Greater Boston Food Bank for the majority of their food, putting a greater demand on an already overburdened food pantry system.

Additionally, a shutdown may impact essential federal nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP or USDA food commodities), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), a senior nutrition program that GBFB administers.

Any government shutdown will only exacerbate the problem of hunger, which has been increasing in Massachusetts, with 1 in 3 people experiencing food insecurity in the past year.

The Greater Boston Food Bank reaffirms our commitments: to being here every day for all those struggling with hunger across Eastern Massachusetts; to continuing to work with our partners across the food distribution system to meet and monitor the demand in changing circumstances; and to ensuring everyone has access to healthy food. We believe that hunger is a non-partisan issue, and that no one in our country should ever go hungry.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. For nearly half a century, GBFB has fueled Eastern Massachusetts’ hunger-relief system, putting nearly 90 million healthy meals on tables across the region each year. Over 600 community-based pantries and other local partners in 190 cities and towns depend on GBFB to provide access to healthy food for 600,000 people every month. GBFB is committed to the belief that access to healthy food is a human right regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Through policy, partnerships, and providing free, nutritious, and culturally responsive food, GBFB is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity while promoting racial, gender, and economic equity in food access. Together, we have the power to end hunger here. For more information and to help us help others, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200.

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