Page 27 - BusinessWest April 3, 2023

strated how important they are to families, even beyond the pandem- ic. “So we need to make sure that that continues.”
One Bite at a Time
McGovern said President Biden has made it clear that the federal government wants to implement an aggressive national strategy to end hunger in the next decade.
“In the months following the conference, Congress has gotten to work on some of the priorities that were laid out in the strategy,” he noted. “We created a permanent summer EBT program to give fami- lies with kids $40 per child per month over the summer, when we know that hunger is often worse. It’s a small step in the right direc- tion, but it’s an important step in the right direction. And especially during these times of high inflation and especially in the aftermath of the SNAP pandemic boost being cut, this is really, really crucial.”
He also said lawmakers responded to a recent EBT-skimming problem by requiring benefit replacement for those who had SNAP benefits stolen through no fault of their own, mandated that the Department of Defense screen military families for food insecurity, and passed the Food Donation Improvement Act to make it easier for retailers, manufacturers, farmers, and schools to donate food directly to hungry people.
“And we passed a massive omnibus spending bill that includes the high- est level of non-defense spending in history. That translates into robust
ERIN MCALEER
“When 21% of families in Massachusetts are food-insecure and 33% of the Black and Latino families in Massachusetts are food-insecure, that is a systemic issue. And that requires systemic solutions. Too often, we focus on individualized solu-
tions when it comes to this issue.”
“There’s obviously much, much more that needs to be done in these areas. But we’re off to a good start. And there is finally momentum at a national level behind efforts to end hunger.”
funding for WIC, farm-to-school grants, school meal equipment grants, among other things,” McGovern went on. “There’s obviously much, much more that needs to be done in these areas. But we’re off to a good start. And there is finally momentum at a national level behind efforts to end hunger. We have people in the administration saying that we want to end hunger.”
He also recently introduced legislation to permanently increase the reimbursement rates paid by the federal government to schools for every breakfast and lunch served.
“We talk a lot about the quality of food that we provide our kids in school, but we also talk about the importance of supporting our local farm- ers,” he explained. “With a little more money for breakfast and lunch, it gives school districts and people who oversee school meals some flexibility to do some things that, right now, they don’t do because it’s too complicat- ed or it might cost a little bit more.”
Kirsten Levitt, executive chef and co-director of Stone Soup Café, a volunteer-driven, pay-what-you-want meal spot in Greenfield, also attended the White House conference and came away with the belief it will take all sectors of the nation to eradicate hunger, and Western Mass. has the ability to be a national model for its emphasis on farms, food, and nutrition. She added that children will be the
best ambassadors for health and
nutrition, especially if school
meals are funded properly.
U.S. REP. JIM MCGOVERN
Hunger
>>
Continued on page 38
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