Special to the Journal
Project Bread, the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts, is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the nation’s leading anti-hunger advocacy organization. This grant will bolster Project Bread’s pivotal role in advancing the Northeast Regional Anti-Hunger Network (NERAHN), a coalition dedicated to eradicating hunger in the seven-state Northeast region. States include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The grant is made possible by the Walmart Foundation.
“We are grateful to FRAC for their support, which will enable us to strengthen NERAHN and drive meaningful progress in the fight against hunger across the Northeast,” said Leran Minc, Assistant Director of Policy at Project Bread, leading convener of NERAHN. “In our regional coalition, we are leading on national hunger policy – we have three of the eight states nationwide providing free school meals to all students (MA, ME, and VT). Together with our coalition partners, we aim to ensure everyone across the region has access to the nutrition they need to thrive through the continued expansion of resources and system change for families and individuals.”
Using funding from this grant, Project Bread will re-convene NERAHN following a 4-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The efforts began with a gathering of member organizations during the FRAC Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in June. This fall, Project Bread will host a convening with all 14 member organizations to align regional efforts, to bolster policymaking decisions on a federal and state by state scale, and to amplify the role of federal nutrition programs as a solution to food insecurity, targeting USDA’s Northeast Regional Office and our respective Congressional delegations.
Federal nutrition programs are among our nation’s most important, proven, and cost-effective solutions for reducing hunger, poverty, and health. These programs include:
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the nation’s first line of defense against hunger by providing financial resources to help millions of people afford to put food on the table.
• The School Nutrition Programs fuel children’s health and learning and combat childhood hunger.
• The Afterschool Nutrition Programs provide nutritious meals and snacks to children at educational and enrichment programming after the school day ends.
• Summer Nutrition Programs offer nutritious meals to low-income children, replacing school breakfasts and lunches served during the school year.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding counseling and support, and health care and social service referrals to more than 6.6 million women and young children, including nearly half of all infants born in the U.S.
• The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides nutritious meals and snacks for eligible children and elderly or disabled adults who are enrolled at participating child care centers, family child care homes, afterschool programs, Head Start programs, adult care centers, and homeless shelters.
“Hunger continues to affect the health and well-being of far too many individuals and families in New York and the New England states,” said Kelly Horton, interim president of FRAC. “We are proud to be a part of this collective effort to expand equitable access to federal nutrition programs so no one faces the unimaginable and inexcusable stress of hunger.”
People experiencing food insecurity in Massachusetts should call or text Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits and Summer Eats meal sites, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.
