Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Open Pantry, food banks and community groups warn CDBG changes will squeeze local hunger relief
Summary
Open Pantry and other Lowell nonprofit leaders told a city subcommittee that recent changes to entitlement-fund administration and higher award minimums make applying impractical for small pantries; food-bank partners and the city outlined reimbursement and procurement constraints.
Leaders from Lowell food pantries and regional food banks told the nonprofit subcommittee that recent changes to entitlement-fund administration — larger, consolidated awards and new compliance requirements — have limited small pantries’ ability to apply for CDBG money and threatened operations.
"We are no longer able to apply for the CDBG grant," Rebecca Wisniewski, board chair at the Open Pantry of Greater Lowell, said. She described a pantry that distributes roughly 6,000 pounds of food weekly with two part‑time paid staff, rising client demand and multiple grant reductions. "Pantries have had money just ripped away from them," she…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
