Photo by Mark Ostow of the food pantry at Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House
Have you ever been in the grocery store and wondered how many people in line with you are food insecure? It’s more than you think.
One in three of our neighbors in Cambridge reported “running out of food or not having enough money to get more food” each month, according to The Greater Boston Food Bank 2024 Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts Report. And food insecurity continues to disproportionately affect minority households in communities across the state. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) says that 27 percent of the population in Middlesex County are food insecure. When they dig deeper to the local level, GBFB estimates that 32 percent of Cambridge residents experienced food insecurity in 2022.
We were startled by the data, but when you look at the high cost of living, ongoing elevated costs of food, and the sunset of pandemic era food benefit programs which supported so many families at a moment of crisis, it begins to sink in. The data also tracks with what GBFB and CCF see on the ground, as food pantries struggle to meet the heightened need.
There are many important programs in place to help – federal, state, and local – and amazing nonprofits of all sizes striving to meet the need in our community. We know a strong food safety net in Cambridge is essential. That’s why we’ve made investments that are building the capacity of our food security nonprofit partners, strengthening collaboration among them, and expanding programs for long-term sustainable change. As year 1 of the Food Access and Security Initiative comes to a close, we’ll be sharing more updates about the impact of the program.
Cambridge, let’s end food insecurity, by working together.
Curious to go deeper into the data? You can find more information about GBFB’s methodology here and view the data by Massachusetts city or census tract here.
Click here to donate to CCF’s Food Security Fund
