Project Bread Awards Grants to Five Local Organizations to Make Hunger History Statewide

From training Arabic-speaking immigrants as policy advocates in Revere to empowering formerly incarcerated residents through food justice in Roslindale, Project Bread has awarded a total of $97,000 to five Massachusetts organizations through its inaugural Community Power Grants. The funding will help to drive grassroots advocacy and systems change to address the root causes of food insecurity, building capacity for smaller organizations where it would not be otherwise possible. Selected from over 40 proposals, these organizations stood out for their proven impact, advocacy wins, and strong potential to build power across communities.

The grants strategically support the Make Hunger History Coalition, Project Bread's bold statewide initiative mobilizing more than 500 partners around a shared roadmap to permanently end hunger in Massachusetts. This work seeks to intentionally shift the power dynamics in anti-hunger work by providing tools and support for grassroots organizations and individuals to voice their perspectives and become leaders in this statewide movement. The coalition operates through five strategic pillars: ensuring all residents can access and buy food, integrating food security with health care, supporting residents to eat nutritious and local food, enhancing food support programs for priority populations, and addressing root causes that contribute to hunger. The grantees will join the coalition as active members, with their community leadership and organizing efforts directly feeding into working groups and collaborative efforts across the state.

"Food insecurity is not just about food - it is about deep structural disparities," says Adriana Mendes-Sheldon, Director of Community Partnerships at Project Bread. "True transformation happens when power is redistributed and communities most impacted by food insecurity are part of shaping the solutions. By investing in grassroots leadership and advocacy, we build long-term capacity for organizing and a sustainable impact that goes beyond charity and toward systemic change."

The Community Power Grant Fund was co-designed by centering lived expertise at every stage. Project Bread’s Council of Experts member Wendy Bongjoh, a nonprofit professional with a background in community development and engagement, helped shape the application process, served on the selection panel, and continues to collaborate with grantees as they develop their logic models. This approach ensures that lived experience informs not only the design of the grant, but also decision-making and the collective strength built alongside awardees.

“I was thrilled to be a part of this grantmaking initiative,” says Bongjoh. “Oftentimes, community-based organizations (CBOs) miss the chance of getting much needed funds because they engage in the traditional process of grantmaking, which is not suited to their unique needs and abilities. This grantmaking initiative by Project Bread is one of a few that had an application process tailored to the capacity of small-sized CBOs. One of those unique aspects is the provision of monitoring and evaluation support from Project Bread through the development of a logic model. Plus, this grantmaking initiative aims to still create opportunities for applicants who were not selected because they are invited to join statewide groups of diverse stakeholders who are all fighting to combat food insecurity through Project Bread’s Community of Practice and the Make Hunger History Coalition.”
The 2025 grantees include:

• Revere Arabic Community (RAC) – RAC advances immigrant-led advocacy and systems change by training non-English-speaking residents as policy advocates. Through leadership development, monthly forums, and direct engagement with decision-makers, the project will build sustainable community power to address food insecurity at its roots. RAC has a proven track record, including policy wins on halal food and language access.

• Boston Food Access Council (BFAC) – BFAC works with the people of Boston, lawmakers, and local partners to make sure everyone in the city has their food needs met. This project will focus on a cohort of Community Advocates: Boston residents with lived experience of food insecurity who will lead grassroots organizing, share personal and community narratives, and foster deeper civic engagement around food justice. In collaboration with Vital CxNs and the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the initiative emphasizes sustainability, peer-led advocacy and equitable participation.
• Roslindale Food Collective + New Beginnings Reentry Services – The Roslindale Food Collective and New Beginnings Reentry Services will lead an innovative, community-driven initiative that links food justice with reentry support and the rebuilding of community strength. Through a six-event series beginning in November 2025, these organizations will engage over 200 residents impacted by incarceration and food insecurity in shared meals, storytelling, and advocacy rooted in cultural identity and lived experience. The kickoff event, “Breaking Barriers 2.0,” will transform a civic space into a platform for BIPOC chefs, formerly incarcerated artists, and local leaders to shape public dialogue and launch a Community Food Justice Manifesto. With a focus on trauma-informed leadership development, cross-sector partnerships, and policy influence, this initiative reflects a grounded, replicable model of systemic change.
• MetroWest Food Collaborative (MWFC) – MWFC will build a powerful foundation for community-driven advocacy by equipping older adults with lived experience of food insecurity in the MetroWest region to lead, inform, and shape anti-hunger efforts. Through 1:1 interviews, trauma-informed engagement, and facilitated advocacy training in Framingham and Hudson, MWFC will grow a cohort of older adult advocates whose insight drives both program and policy design.
• Hampshire County Food Policy Council (HCFPC) – HCFPC will drive a community-led advocacy initiative that builds the power of residents most impacted by food insecurity to shape equitable, sustainable food systems. Through a newly formed Policy Advocacy Circle, HCFPC will train residents in story-based advocacy, leadership, and collaborative governance, culminating in a County-wide Community Advocacy Plan. With a strong foundation in resident-led initiatives since 2022, and a proven model of inclusion, HCFPC collaborates with 16 cross-sector partners and has deep ties to rural and marginalized communities.

Project Bread is the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts with a radical approach to ending hunger through systemic change. It does this through policy, prevention, and partnerships to ensure people of all ages have reliable access to healthy food. The Community Power investments reflect the organization's core belief that food insecurity represents structural injustice requiring solutions that challenge harmful narratives, uplift collective wisdom, and center leadership from those most affected.

To get involved with the Make Hunger History Coalition, visit: www.makehungerhistoryma.org.

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread
Project Bread, the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.