Hunger & Food Insecurity

Hunger and food insecurity contribute to a range of harmful outcomes, from impeding the healthy development of children to forcing families with limited incomes to choose between food, housing and medicine. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides an essential safety net for low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities.

MLRI’s nationally-recognized Food SNAP Advocacy Project uses legal and policy advocacy to alleviate food insecurity and hunger in Massachusetts by increasing SNAP participation and benefits amounts.

Our advocacy focuses on:

• expanding access to food and nutrition programs
• leading and coordinating legislative, administrative and community-based responses to eliminate administrative barriers to SNAP program participation
• devising policy strategies to address and mitigate hunger and food insecurity for vulnerable populations, i.e., low-income children, older adults, people with disabilities
• collaborating on advocacy initiatives with food banks and food pantries, health care organizations, social service providers, advocates for older adults, policymakers, faith groups, and community based organizations through leadership of the 400-member Food/SNAP Coalition