Minister's Blog

Over the last month or so, I have told folks that I feel like I am preparing for a coming storm, as one of the leaders of this church.  The storm comprises a dramatic surge in local need as people grapple with skyrocketing health insurance premiums, increased food and housing costs, and a decline in support from the government.  This was brought home over the last few weeks with the expectation that SNAP benefits – or food stamps – will temporarily cease – as of November 1 – as the federal government shutdown continues.  I am not trying to be political here.  Rather I am trying to follow the teachings of our faith – that when people are hungry you take steps to feed them.

Lest we forget, approximately 1 in 6 people here in Massachusetts (or 1.1 million) are on food stamps.  The Commonwealth receives about $240 million per MONTH in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.  Overall, the federal government spends a little over $40 billion per year on SNAP for all 50 states, or about the same amount that the U.S. just spent bailing out Argentina and its economy, with seemingly little or no oversight by Congress.

By far the largest group receiving food assistance in the U.S. are people under the age of 18, or children.  Here in Massachusetts, children account for 32% of SNAP benefits, people with disabilities account for another 31%, while seniors receive 26%.  This means that as the shutdown continues and our elected leaders refuse to negotiate on a budget, 1.1 million people across Massachusetts could start to go hungry.  This includes people connected to many of the organizations we support such as the International Institute of New England, Bristol Lodge, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Community Day Center in Waltham.  Hence my analogy of preparing for a storm.  If the lack of funding persists or even if funding is reduced or delayed, a whole lot of people locally are going to go hungry.

This month we will conduct our regular November food drive for the local pantry at the Council on Aging, but we are going to collect food cards as well.  We are asking folks to consider purchasing and donating grocery store gift cards that we can then donate to some of our partner agencies.  You can receive a tax deduction for this donation if you drop them off at the church.  I am also encouraging people to consider making a donation right now to the Greater Boston Food Bank, since they are the primary distributor of food to many pantries in this area. I plan to do this myself as part of my own “storm preparations.”