Food budgets fall short
Rising food costs are putting a greater strain on Boston-area families already struggling to put a meal on the table, a new national report finds.
For one in 10 people in Massachusetts — about 700,000 people — their weekly food budget on average falls $19.21 below what they need, a shortfall that is up 4.1 percent over last year, according to a report from Feeding America, a national umbrella group for food banks.
For a family of four, that means they fall nearly $80 below what nutritionists say they should be spending, an increase of about $3 that advocates say is hitting people who already can’t afford sufficient, goodquality food.
“One in 10 Massachusetts residents not only don’t know where their next meal is coming from, but can’t even afford to buy as much food as they could last year,” said Catherine D’Amato, president of The Greater Boston Food Bank. “The situation has gotten worse, not better for them in the commonwealth. A family of four is short about $80 a week. That’s an insurmountable amount for many hard-working, low-income people scrambling to also meet the high cost of housing, health care, utilities, transportation and other basic needs in our state.”
Bonita Cuff, 49, a Dorchester mother who goes to food pantries, said, “I know families who are working and still can’t make ends meet. I feel like I’m always asking myself how am I going to get this bill paid? There is a lot going through my mind. I try not to think about it. I try to shield my kids from it. There are days I go without eating but as long as they are eating I’m happy.”
Massachusetts ranks fifth-highest nationwide when it comes to people being unable to afford food, after the District of Columbia, Alaska, Vermont and Maine, the report states. In Massachusetts, 1 in 7 children already lacks access to enough food, and 1 in 10 of the total population.
Many fear food access will get worse with social programs such as heating assistance, aid to women with children and housing subsidies on the chopping block under President Trump’s proposed budget.
“We know the economy is reflected in food insecurity rates,” said Dr. Ronald Kleinman, physician-inchief for children at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We share a responsibility with the federal government to protect citizens from food insecurity. If the federal government doesn’t do its share, the people will suffer. I’m worried about it. I think everyone in the commonwealth and everyone in the country should be concerned about it.”
Dr. Deborah Frank, a Boston Medical Center pediatrician and founder of Children’s HealthWatch, said, “What people forget is public policy is written on the bodies of children and babies. Massachusetts has a high wealth gap and cost of living. Nutrition rates are set nationally. You can’t buy the same amount of food in Massachusetts as you can get in Alaska. That’s a real issue.”