After Federal SNAP Cut, Worcester Will Spend $2M On Food Insecurity

WORCESTER, MA — Following the end of expanded federal SNAP benefits — formerly called food stamps — earlier this year, Worcester is moving to assist residents and families who may have been left with a smaller food budget.

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista recently notified city councilors he would reroute $2 million from the city's $146 million federal stimulus allotment to food programs. The $2 million was originally budgeted for water and sewer upgrades.

The United Way of Central Massachusetts will distribute the funds over three upcoming funding cycles, supporting food pantries and other food insecurity operations.

Expanded pandemic-era SNAP benefits went away at the beginning of March. Gov. Maura Healey signed a supplemental budget at the end of March that included $130 million to prevent local SNAP users from losing the expanded benefits completely.

The expanded federal benefits boosted the average Massachusetts household's monthly benefit to about $151. The governor's supplemental budget helps maintain about one-third of that boost, on average. About 635,000 people in Massachusetts use SNAP benefits.

From Feb. 4 to 13, more than 25.5 million Americans lived in households where there was sometimes or often not enough to eat, according to data from the Census Bureau’s latest Household Pulse Survey. In Massachusetts, about 9 percent were food insecure during that time period — a nearly 2 percent rise over the previous survey period.

"This funding is in direct response to one of the greatest needs facing our community right now — food insecurity," Batista said in a news release.