HEALEY HIGHLIGHTS EFFORTS AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY
Gov. Maura Healey visited Billerica and Lowell Thursday in an effort to highlight her proposals to combat food insecurity in the state as pandemic-era assistance has waned.
Healey’s first stop was Hajjar Elementary School in Billerica, where she joined second- and fourth-grade students for lunch and highlighted her proposal to extend the free school lunch and breakfast program in Massachusetts. The federal government had made school lunches free for all students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that program was extended on the state level by then-gov. Charlie Baker last summer.
Now, Healey hopes to see free lunches extended further by the state Legislature with a bill filed last month that would permanently implement free school meals in Massachusetts.
“This is so important to so many families out there who are struggling with the high costs, including putting food on the table,” said Healey. “We in the administration are committed to supporting free school meals, which is why we put forward a supplemental budget to include funding for that.”
The bill, titled “An Act Relative to Universal School Meals,” would require an additional $171 million to cover the free lunch program for the 2023-2024 school year, and it would direct the Executive Office of Education to come up with options to reform or modify the program by next year. Healey said she is hoping to see federal assistance come to Massachusetts to supplement the program further.
The governor’s hope with the continuation of the program is that students aren’t go
ing to classes less focused on their education than on their empty stomachs.
“I think we understand the importance of making sure our young people are fed, and for their success and for their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing they have to be nourished and fed,” said Healey. “Too many families right now around our state are struggling with food insecurity.”
Healey then went to Dwelling House of Hope in Lowell, a nonprofit that provides food assistance to lowincome families and immigrants, where she was told of how serious the need for food assistance is. Dwelling House of Hope founder and Executive Director Levenia Furusa and volunteers explained that on
Saturdays, when they distribute food, people can be seen lined up in their cars with their kids as early as 3 a.m., when they don’t begin distributing food until 8 a.m. Lately, they have been serving up to 1,000 boxes of food weekly.
Lowell City Manager Tom Golden said that it was vital for local, state and federal governments to work together in fighting food insecurity, both in schools and in the general populace.
“has been there for three months and we have been on the phone multiple times talking about this very challenge that our community has here,” said Golden. “Not just in people being hungry throughout our city and our communities, but in housing. We have a lot of big plans and a lot of ideas that we are still cooking right now and the governor has expressed some interest.”
Lowell Mayor Sokhary Chau said that “at least 30 or 40% of the city” has experienced hunger in their lives, especially among the city’s immigrant population.
“There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing students going to school hungry. There is nothing worse than knowing their stomachs are growling so they can’t focus in school,” said Chau. “If they are hungry, they are not going to be focused on academics.”
Furusa said that about 250 international students from Umass Lowell also regularly receive food assistance from Dwelling House of Hope.
“And the number is increasing every time, because they keep telling each other about us,” said Furusa, noting that the food pantry takes care to consider religious dietary restrictions when giving food assistance.
Healey encouraged anyone to come out and volunteer for their local food pantry or to simply donate food to one for those who are in greatest need.