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By the numbers: Who will be affected in Mass. if food aid program SNAP goes unfunded
The country’s largest food assistance program is set to lapse on Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown continues. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps 42 million low income and disabled people across the U.S. buy groceries.
The program has become a political football in the dispute between Democrats and Republicans about who is to blame for the shutdown. On Tuesday, a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general and governors sued the Trump administration, claiming that the suspension of benefits is illegal.
Here’s a look at who will be affected in Massachusetts, based on the most recent state data.
- 1 in 6 residents across the state are enrolled in SNAP. That’s almost 1.1 million people in more than 655,000 households.
- A little more than a third of SNAP recipients are 18 or younger. In raw numbers: 336,832 kids and teens.
- A third of SNAP recipients, 310,318 adults, have a disability.
- About a quarter of beneficiaries, or 264,330 residents, are 60 years or older.
- 21,000 SNAP recipients in Massachusetts are veterans, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
- Two thirds of households that receive SNAP live below the poverty line, meaning they report income less than $21,150 a year for a family of two.
- The average daily benefit for a household amounts to $10.60.
- In August, the most recent date with data available, 2,416 households lost SNAP benefits because their income was over the limit. That number is roughly average for the year.
- SNAP shoppers account for $1 of every $5 spent at grocery and retail stores in Massachusetts, according to a court document filed by the Healey administration.
- By race, 39% of SNAP recipients in the state are white, 26% identify as Hispanic or Latino (across racial groups), 17% are Black, 4% are Asian, 2% report more than 1 race, and 38% did not say.
For those in need of help during this time, here are a few organizations that may be able to either provide food or connect residents to other resources. (This list is not comprehensive.)
- Project Bread's hotline connects callers to food aid programs: 1-800-645-8333
- Massachusetts 2-1-1 is a hotline operated by the United Way that directs callers to food, housing and other emergency assistance.
- Massachusetts has four food banks that distribute goods to food pantries, shelters, community centers and other meal programs. Visit their sites to learn more about distribution sites or meal events:
