Press Release: 3/31/2025
Trump Administration Continues to Take Away Food from Massachusetts Families and Students
USDA Cancels $3.4 Million for Food Banks, Federal Farm to School Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
3/28/2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Karissa Hand, Press Secretary
Phone
Call Karissa Hand, Press Secretary at 617-725-4025
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration and food security organizations are criticizing the Trump Administration for continuing to cancel federal funding that aimed to provide local, healthy food to children and food banks in Massachusetts. This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Northeast Regional Office confirmed to the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that Massachusetts’ $3.4 million allocation from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Commodity Credit Corporation bonus food order has been cancelled. That funding would have provided 121,830 cases of pre-selected food items such as eggs, chicken, milk, fruit, pasta, beans and salmon to Massachusetts food banks to help feed residents.
DESE also recently received notice from the USDA that the Fiscal Year 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School State Agency Grant Program has been cancelled. DESE had applied for $384,446 in funding for the FY25 grant. There was no reason for the cancellation provided.
“Why does President Trump keep taking away food from our children and families?” said Governor Maura Healey. “Massachusetts food banks do incredible work to make sure local families have access to nutritious food, which promotes food security, reduces medical costs and supports the economy. Additionally, the TEFAP program connects students with local, healthy food while also supporting farmers and local business.”
“Food security is one of the most basic needs people have, whether at school or the kitchen table. Access to local, healthy food also creates community and belonging between farmers, small businesses, organizations and students and families. It is hard to see how these cuts align with Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ directive,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
The longstanding Patrick Leahy Farm to School State Agency Grant Program was created to increase student access to nutritious, locally grown and produced foods, while also connecting students to their local food system and STEM educational opportunities focused on food literacy, nutrition, plant science and agriculture. Previous recipients of the Patrick Leahy Farm to School State Agency Grant Program are available on the USDA website.
“These continued devastating cuts make it clear that the people the Trump Administration is focused on supporting are certainly not the most vulnerable among us. Farm to school grants have been important funding sources to connect students with nutritious, local food and help set them on a path toward lifelong health. These cuts harm our students, schools, farmers and local businesses and economy. They make no sense and are a continued assault on the future of our children,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.
“Children need nutritious food in order to learn, and when the food is locally grown, it can help spark students’ curiosity in and understanding of the world around them,” said Russell D. Johnston, acting commissioner of elementary and secondary education. “It’s disappointing to see valuable support for students and local farms disappear.”
“The cancellation of the Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program and TEFAP, coupled with the termination of the Northeast Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs, has a cascading impact across the local food system,” said Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle. “Family farms, students, and food insecure individuals are negatively impacted by these funding reductions and the opportunity for students to access nutritious, locally grown food becomes more difficult.”
The USDA had established the TEFAP Commodity Credit Corporation bonus food order to support emergency food organizations as they continue to deal with supply chain challenges and elevated food costs. The cancellation of the bonus food order and Leahy grant come after the Trump Administration also cut $500 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program that helped food banks purchase local healthy food and more than $12 million from the Local Food for Schools grant funding that would have provided local, healthy food to child care programs and schools in Massachusetts.
People experiencing food insecurity can call 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.
Statements from Local Food Banks and Food Security Organizations:
Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank:
“TEFAP (USDA food) is a vital program that provides the Mass Coalition of Food Banks with a reliable source of fresh agricultural products including produce, proteins and dairy, the most requested items by the people we serve. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is already facing increased demand for nutritious food across our network of 600 food pantries across Eastern Massachusetts. Over 600,000 people per month come to them for help. The cancelations of federal commodities will reduce food throughout our region, making it more difficult for food insecure people to feed themselves and their families. GBFB will need to raise money to replace and purchase this healthy food that our neighbors so desperately need."
Jean McMurray, CEO, Worcester County Food Bank:
“The federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is an essential source of nutritious food for 15,570 children, older adults, and hard-working adults assisted every week by the Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) and our network of local pantries. WCFB distributes enough donated food every day for approximately 21,200 meals; one-third of that food is donated through TEFAP. Prior to the cancellation of USDA deliveries, WCFB and our network were already seeing our food resources stretched thin because of the unprecedented need in the community. Food Banks and food pantries cannot fill the gap created by a reduction in federal food support; less support from USDA means there’s less food on the tables of our neighbors. We applaud Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll for amplifying the devastating impact these cancellations will have on our neighbors struggling with food insecurity."
Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts:
“The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts relies on funding from the federal government for about 21% of our food inventory every year. Last year, we provided the equivalent of about 3 million meals of USDA food to local food pantries, meal sites and senior centers. Together, we get nutritious food to people facing food insecurity when and where they need it. Yesterday’s USDA cancellation of food orders just removed the equivalent of 669,000 meals of nutritious assorted frozen meats, dairy, fresh fruit, and dried beans from people’s tables. It’s shameful to take food away from seniors, children and working families who can’t make ends meet. These families must seek food assistance because of the high cost of food and other basic needs like healthcare, housing, childcare and much more. The federal government is supposed to help people meet their basic needs when the economy is failing to do its job. Now more than ever, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts need more, not less, federal support.”
Kelly Proulx, Director of Communications & Public Relations, Merrimack Valley Food Bank:
“These cancelled future food deliveries include basic staples such as eggs, pork chops, and chicken breasts. Our organization, like many nonprofits, operates on a tight budget – we don’t have an extra $208,000 in our budget to purchase food to make up for these deliveries we will no longer be receiving. These cuts don’t just exist on paper or in a spreadsheet – they are taking food, including essential proteins, directly off the plates of families in Massachusetts who rely on food pantries for a little extra help to make ends meet. We will continue working tirelessly to meet the needs of the people we serve, but this makes our work even more challenging.”
Erin McAleer, President & CEO, Project Bread:
“We are incredibly disappointed to hear that this federal administration is continuing to attack food assistance programs that support our most vulnerable populations and that they are taking funding away from children and families trying to access healthy food each day. We want every Massachusetts resident to be able to access and afford food with dignity. These cuts will harm the progress we have made on this statewide.”
Simca Horwitz, Co-Director, Massachusetts Farm to School:
“Schools and organizations across Massachusetts have benefitted from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program. These highly sought after funds have catalyzed local food purchasing and education efforts that are good for our kids, for our farmers, and for our communities.”
Curt Ellis, Co-founder & CEO, FoodCorps:
“FoodCorps is deeply disappointed by the cancellation of the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant program. This critical initiative helped build strong, sustainable partnerships between local farmers and school districts, ensuring that children received the nutritious meals they needed to succeed in school. As the need for support grows, it is crucial that the USDA and federal lawmakers prioritize policies and investments in agriculture that safeguard the future of our schools, local producers, and children,” said
Kristina Racek Pechulis, Executive Director, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative:
"The loss of these funds will have a negative impact on students' understanding of where and how food is grown for years to come. Exposure to food literacy and agricultural education is key to a resilient local food system and the health and wellbeing of the next generation.”