Each September since 1996, food banks across the country work together with Feeding America to shine a spotlight on their important work as part of Hunger Action Month (HAM). This year, HAM is a call for you to step into your role. Not just to hope for the better, but to help make it happen. Help us spread the word: our neighbors are losing access to SNAP, and we can’t let that happen.
Doing the Right Things, Together
Here at the Worcester County Food Bank, we know nothing good happens alone. We team up with 100 Partner Agencies across Worcester County to help thousands of people put food on the table every week. None of that would be possible without our Partner Agencies, volunteers, donors, advocates, community organizations, and neighbors who each show up in their own way to keep our local food system strong.
This past year, our Partner Agencies have seen more people asking for help than ever before. Families are getting squeezed from every direction — food prices are up, housing costs keep climbing, and new, more complicated rules are making it harder to get the healthy, culturally familiar food they need. In fact, a lot of our neighbors are losing access to SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
The Center on Food Equity, a project of the Worcester County Food Bank, collects stories like these directly from our neighbors. Klarissa is a mom from Worcester. She shared her story because she wants to help other families navigate the same system. View the entire Worcester Food Insecurity Archive
A SNAP Crisis
Here’s what happened: in July 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2026 budget bill, which pushed the USDA to pile new, burdensome reporting requirements onto SNAP. Since then, the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) reports across Worcester County have lost their SNAP benefits. For most of them, it’s not because they no longer qualify; it’s because they simply couldn’t get through to DTA in time to finish the required paperwork. DTA itself says about 90% of callers to its assistance line never even reach a caseworker.
Emphasis on Action — Your Voice Matters
WCFB has been at the table with the Governor’s office, local partners, and state and federal legislators, pushing for a real fix to the SNAP crisis. Now we need you.
Here’s how you can help this month:
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- Find your legislators
- Call or email to them to urge them to stand with DTA (Department of Transitional Assistance) staff as they work to expand capacity — so that phones are answered promptly and cases are processed in a timely manner.
- Share our posts on social media and tag your elected officials
