When President Trump signed into law his “Big Beautiful Bill” on July 4, it brought cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal food assistance, and Newton’s food pantries braced for the impact. To combat a potential statewide increase in food insecurity, Governor Maura Healey created an Anti-Hunger Task Force with the goal of preventing families across the state from going hungry. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is one of the many members of this task force, working closely with the Newton Food Pantry, the Centre Street Food Pantry, and many others to supply families with food.
According to Kate Adams, the GBFG’s Senior Public Policy Manager, the GBFB is the largest hunger relief organization in New England, serving over 600,000 people every month. She said that 75% of SNAP participants in Massachusetts report needing additional food support on top of SNAP benefits to meet their households’ monthly needs. In response to expected increases in demand, the GBFB is working to raise more awareness of food insecurity as well as more fundraising to provide adequate food supply. “We are working very hard to ensure we meet this future demand,” Adams said. “If you are someone who is experiencing food insecurity, please know that you are not alone.”
Newton Food Pantry
Jeff Lemberg, the Executive Director of the Newton Food Pantry, says that in Newton, nearly 4,350 people receive SNAP benefits, with the city’s food insecurity rate estimated at 6%. The Newton Food Pantry is a non-profit organization that serves 2,500 Newton residents and is the largest hunger-relief operation that specifically serves the city of Newton. Over the last few months, the Newton Food Pantry has seen a significant increase in demand, with July being its busiest month in the last few years. Lemberg suspects that cuts to SNAP and hunger relief will make the Newton Food Pantry’s work more challenging. “Even before the cuts, SNAP was barely covering the full amount of food needs for households,” he said.
While the government will be pulling back at the federal level, Lemberg is not worried about meeting the potential increase in local demand, as the GBFB is strongly supported by the Commonwealth. Additionally, he anticipates that the opening of Newton Food Pantry’s expansion project in Auburndale, which is planned to open in spring of 2026, will also help meet future demands. “We are fortunate to be operating in a state that has been supportive of hunger relief,” he said. “While the federal government is pulling back on supporting hunger relief programs, the state of Massachusetts is stepping up to fill that void.”
Centre Street Food Pantry
Rose Saia, the executive director of the Centre Street Food Pantry, predicts that there could be a substantial increase in food insecurity. “With people losing their jobs, combined with the cuts to SNAP, we could be looking at an increase of 25-50% — and even more,” she said. Despite this worry, she is grateful for the immense support that the Centre Street Food Pantry has received from the Newton community. She noted that all proceeds from donations go directly into buying food, strengthening the supply.
Saia is confident that even if demand for food is greater than the supply, the Centre Street Food Pantry will continue to keep up, due to the quality of the relationships it has with a large number of other distributors (such as local farmers and supermarkets). “The Greater Boston Food bank has done a really great job of keeping the food well-stocked,” she said. “We always face unpredictability, but I’m really confident that we will pivot and adapt so that we can continue to support those in need.”
