Eastern Mass. Residents Miss Millions Of Meals Each Year

A new study shows residents in eastern Massachusetts are skipping nearly 89 million meals a year. The Greater Boston Food Bank cites the rising cost of food as just one of many contributing factors.

Nearly half of the people in the state, skipping meals because they can’t afford them, are in the middle class. These families don’t qualify for food stamps because they earn too much, so they rely on food banks.

The Greater Boston Food Bank stocks those banks and CEO Catherine D’Amato said they will increase food distribution by 10 percent over the next two years.

"We have made a commitment to put enough food out to our agencies and programs to provide one meal a day to every person who is in need in eastern Massachusetts," D'Amato said.

The study also found the average cost of a meal in Massachusetts is 31 cents higher than the national average.