Massachusetts advances $4 million to food banks as SNAP benefit freeze looms

Governor Healey announced a one-month, $4,000,000 advance to Massachusetts food banks on the states Emergency Food Assistance Program to help residents affected by a freeze in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting this weekend.

The move comes after the governor said the U.S. Department of Agriculture was holding a contingency fund that could be used to pay SNAP benefits nationwide; Attorney General Andrea Campbell is in court seeking an order to release those funds. "We are going to advance $4,000,000 to our food banks," Healey said, explaining the money will be drawn from the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) and that the advancement is intended to address an expected surge in demand.

Why it matters: About one in seven people in Massachusetts receive SNAP, Healey said, including large shares of seniors, children, people with disabilities and more than 21,000 veterans. State and nonprofit…