Emergency Food Resource Gaps in Southeastern MA: Where We Stand with SNAP as of November 5, 2025

Nov 06, 2025

On November 5th, the Southcoast Food Policy Council (SFPC) convened a special Emergency Food Resource Meeting to address the growing crisis surrounding SNAP benefits amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. We were joined by Pat Baker, Senior Policy Advocate at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and lead advocate for the MA SNAP Coalition, who provided critical updates on how the shutdown is disrupting food access for more than a million Massachusetts residents. Pat shared insight into the lawsuits compelling the federal government to release contingency funds, the partial issuance of November benefits, and what these changes mean for families, food pantries, and community partners across the Southcoast. The conversation underscored the urgency of regional coordination and collective advocacy as we work to close emergency food resource gaps in Southeastern Massachusetts. Below is high level information from that meeting:

The Federal Shutdown and November SNAP Benefits

As of the meeting, we were on Day 5 of the shutdown’s impact on SNAP benefits, which has directly disrupted food access for millions of households nationwide. What does this mean?

  • Historically, during shutdowns, USDA taps contingency funds to keep SNAP fully funded.

  • This time, the Trump administration initially refused to release those funds until lawsuits from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and California forced USDA to act.

  • The contingency fund holds about $4.6 billion, but about $9 billion is needed to fully fund November benefits nationwide — leaving a major gap.

  • Updated information: on 11.6.25, a Rhode Island Federal judge directed the USDA to release the contingency SNAP funds for November. On 11.7.25, the USDA filed an appeal to NOT release the SNAP money for November.

Partial November Benefits – and a Confusing Reality

USDA has authorized states to issue partial November SNAP benefits, roughly framed as “50%” of normal benefits, but the reality is more complicated:

SNAP benefits are calculated using the usual formula (deducting a portion of income and certain expenses from a maximum benefit amount). For November, that maximum benefit amount was originally slated to be cut in half. As of 11.6.25 after pressure from lawsuits and national advocacy groups, USDA updated its guidance to direct states to reduce the maximum monthly SNAP benefits by 35%, not the 50% previously announced. While this is an improvement, it will a) cause confusion and b) still leave very low income households with, at most, 65% of what they typically receive. And, many residents will still receive less than that or nothing at all.

This change will:

  • Cause confusion among recipients and service providers, since communication materials are being updated midstream;

  • Leave very low-income households with, at most, 65% of what they typically receive; and

  • Result in many residents still receiving less than that — or nothing at all this month.

We expect that DTA will be updating its public materials and outreach to reflect the new guidance in the coming days.

In Massachusetts:

  • There were no SNAP issuances on November 1–3, leaving tens of thousands of families without expected benefits.

  • DTA has announced that partial November SNAP benefits will be issued sometime next week (the week of November 10th), in one lump sum rather than staggered by Social Security number as usual.

  • Even with these partial benefits, the state will fall far short of the roughly $212 million that would normally go to SNAP households in November.

State and Philanthropic Stopgaps – Helpful, But Not Enough

Pat outlined how state agencies and nonprofits are working to fill the gap:

  • The Governor has front-loaded $4 million in MEFAP funding (Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program) to help food banks and pantries purchase more food.

  • Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline is helping residents find food resources and navigate options.

  • United Way organizations, through the United Response Fund and other initiatives, are raising and moving dollars quickly to frontline providers.

  • Locally, Mass211 “press 2–8” offers Lyft rides in our region (Wareham to Fall River and beyond) for individuals who need transportation to food resources, job interviews, and other critical services.

All of these efforts are crucial, but they cannot replace more than $200 million in lost monthly SNAP benefits. Many pantries are already rationing: limiting the number of onions, potatoes, or cereal boxes per household just to stretch supply.

Beyond the Shutdown: HR1 / OB3 and Long-Term SNAP Changes

Pat also emphasized that the shutdown is only the immediate crisis. The larger storm is the set of SNAP cuts and cost shifts enacted in the omnibus bill commonly referred to as HR1 or “OB3”, signed into law on July 4.

1. Immigrant Eligibility Cuts

Under HR1/OB3, many legally present immigrants with humanitarian status will no longer be eligible for SNAP unless they:

  • Have obtained a green card (lawful permanent residence), or

  • Have naturalized as U.S. citizens.

Groups affected include:

  • Refugees

  • Asylees

  • Victims of human trafficking

  • Certain battered immigrants

  • Some individuals granted humanitarian parole (e.g., some Ukrainians, Afghans)

DTA estimates that around 9,600 immigrants in Massachusetts may be at risk of losing SNAP, depending on whether they have adjusted their status to permanent residency.

Who is NOT supposed to lose SNAP under these changes?

  • Green card holders (lawful permanent residents) who meet existing federal rules

  • Naturalized U.S. citizens

  • Certain Cuban and Haitian entrants, who are protected under specific federal provisions

What providers can do:

  • Connect clients with legal services to explore whether they can file for a green card or adjust their status.

  • Tell DTA when someone has adjusted status — DTA may not automatically know.

  • Help families understand that while some household members may lose SNAP, citizen or green-card-holding household members may still qualify.

2. Expanded Work Requirements and Time Limits

HR1/OB3 dramatically expands who is subject to SNAP work requirements and the 3-month time limit:

Previously, work requirements mainly applied to:

  • Adults ages 18–54 without children in the household (with some exemptions).

Under the new law, work rules now extend to:

  • Adults ages 55 to 65

  • Veterans who were previously exempt

  • People experiencing homelessness who were previously exempt

  • Parents and caregivers of children age 14 and older

The state estimates that about 100,000 people in Massachusetts could be impacted over time.

However, Pat underscored a critical point: many people are exempt but may not know it.

You are exempt from the time limit/work rules if, for example, you:

  • Have any health condition that reduces your ability to work

  • Are in a state program that serves people with disabilities

  • Live with a child under 14, or are pregnant

  • Are a caregiver for a disabled adult or child

  • Earn above a certain weekly amount in wages

  • Are receiving or applying for unemployment insurance

  • Provide unpaid caregiving or volunteer labor 20+ hours per week

  • Are in a qualifying training or education program

What providers can do:

  • Help clients read and respond to DTA notices about work requirements.

  • Encourage people to tell DTA about any barriers to work or volunteering.

  • Support clients in documenting disabilities, health conditions, or caregiving responsibilities that should qualify them for exemptions.

  • Connect people to SNAP Path to Work programs, which can both support education/training and protect their SNAP eligibility while enrolled.

3. Cost Shifts to States and Administrative Strain

HR1/OB3 also:

  • Cuts federal reimbursement for state SNAP administration in half, starting in 2026.

  • Ties future state cost-sharing of SNAP benefits to the “payment error rate” (cases where benefits are calculated too high or too low).

  • Ends SNAP Nutrition Education funding, with only limited carryover remaining in Massachusetts.

Pat stressed that the payment error rate is not fraud. It reflects:

  • Overwhelmed workers managing more cases with fewer staff, and

  • Clients struggling to reach DTA or understand complicated reporting rules.

Right now:

  • Blocked/dropped calls to DTA hover around 75%, making it extremely hard for clients to report changes or seek clarification.

  • Caseloads are about 1,300 cases per worker, up from 900 per worker pre-COVID.

  • SNAP participation has risen both because of need and because the state successfully closed part of the “SNAP gap” by integrating SNAP applications into MassHealth.

The worry: higher error rates could trigger financial penalties for the state, which could then pressure Massachusetts to shrink its SNAP caseload over time—just when our communities need it most.

Regional Coordination: Weekly Meetings & Real-Time Communication

Stakeholders on the call strongly affirmed the need for ongoing coordination as the crisis unfolds.

Based on that feedback:

  • SFPC will shift Emergency Food Resource Meetings to a weekly cadence, keeping the Wednesday at 2:00pm time slot.

  • We will continue to use the Food Alert listserv to share:

    • Surplus and emergency food (for example, when a retailer has pallets of product that must move quickly).

    • Urgent needs from pantries and community organizations.

    • Policy updates, funding opportunities, and transportation resources.

To join the Food Alert listserv, email sfpc@marioninstitute.org and request to be added.

We encourage you to:

  • Share slides, meeting notes, and resources (including MLRI analyses, United Way opportunities, and transportation tools like Mass211’s Lyft program) with all registrants.

  • Share our action alert so stakeholders can quickly contact legislators when state decisions about backfilling SNAP or deploying state dollars are on the table.

What You Can Do Now

Whether you’re a provider, advocate, or concerned resident, here are some concrete steps you can take:

  • Stay informed & share accurate information – Use trusted updates from MLRI, the MA SNAP Coalition, and SFPC when talking with clients, community members, or the media.

  • Help residents navigate SNAP & DTA

    • Support people in setting up and using DTA Connect.

    • Help them read DTA notices and identify whether they qualify for exemptions from new work rules.

    • Encourage them to report changes in income, rent, or heating/cooling costs that may affect their benefits.

  • Connect immigrant households to legal help – Many humanitarian-status immigrants may still qualify for SNAP if they can adjust their status or if certain household members remain eligible.

  • Support local food access efforts

    • Donate to local food pantries, food banks, and mutual aid groups.

    • Explore opportunities through the United Response Fund and your local United Way.

    • If you’re a food provider, consider how you can increase capacity or adjust operations as demand spikes.

  • Advocate at the state level – use our action alert to contact our state representatives and senators to urge them to:

    • Use state dollars to help backfill the SNAP gap and load benefits to EBT cards where possible.

    • Maintain and strengthen state-funded nutrition programs like universal school meals.

    • Invest in the SNAP workforce so DTA staff can keep up with caseloads and reduce harmful “errors.”

Looking Ahead

This moment is both a crisis and a stress test for our food system. The reduction and instability of federal SNAP benefits will be felt deeply in Southeastern Massachusetts, where many households were already experiencing food insecurity before the shutdown.

At the same time, the turnout for this meeting — with over 200 people registered from across Bristol, Plymouth, Norfolk counties and the Cape — shows the strength of our regional network.

As Pat reminded us, we’ve never had a shutdown impact SNAP like this before. But we also know from the pandemic that when we coordinate, share information quickly, and push for systemic solutions, we can reduce harm and build a more resilient food system in the process.

We’ll continue to convene every first Wednesday at 2:00pm for our Emergency Food Resource Meeting for the wider network. Together, we’ll navigate the immediate crisis—and keep pushing for long-term policies that make hunger history in Massachusetts.

SFPC – If You Want to Help

When federal aid slows, community support matters more than ever.
Here’s how you can take action:

SFPC Resources

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