Making food accessible
Removing barriers to food access
Overview
Dismantling barriers to food assistance
Food insecurity impacts residents of all ages and backgrounds. For many, getting help can be a challenge — lack of transportation, language barriers, physical mobility limitations, application difficulties, lack of computer access, fear of stigma, simply not knowing where to turn...the list goes on.
To dismantle barriers that persist between households and federal nutrition programs we promote them extensively through multi-channel, multi-language awareness campaigns, and help individuals access them through compassionate direct service.
2023 Impact
23% of callers
received support in a language other than English
Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline
Compassionate help for people facing hunger
Project Bread aims to support a person or family’s ability to easily access food with dignity. Residents who call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline receive personalized, compassionate help (in 180 languages) from our trained staff, who connect them to every food assistance program that is available and for which they are eligible.
Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline is the only place that people can turn for comprehensive referrals and information regarding food assistnace in Massachusetts.
23,223 households received personalized food assistance from Project Bread’s expert counselors in 2023.
Increasing Access to SNAP
Boosting household food budgets
SNAP is at the center of our strategy to providing long-term, sustainable food security to low-income households in Massachusetts. Yes, we screen households to determine if they're eligible for SNAP and help them apply. But we also work to dismantle barriers that persist for those eligible but not enolled, that may contribute to SNAP's underutilization.
Our research and data department analayzes food insecurity trends used by our public policy team to influence and shape legislation to remove barriers to SNAP and increase benefit amounts, helping more people afford food with dignity. In partnership with Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, we train schools, state agencies, and health centers.
8,192 households learned if they were eligible for SNAP through Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline in 2023.
Outreach & Awareness Campaigns
Normalizing needing help
Two of the biggest barriers to food assistance are simply not knowing what's out there and the fear of stigma for needing help. Through targeted state-wide multi-lingual public awareness and outreach campaigns for SNAP, our FoodSource Hotline, and Summer Eats, we reach out to inform vulnerable communities and potentially eligible households while addressing misinformation and normalizing needing help.
There was a 124% increase in average monthly visitors to GettingSNAP.org in 2022 over 2021 with information fully translated in 4 non-English languages.
Good food is a basic right®
While our work is focused in Massachusetts, our models lay the groundwork to end hunger for everyone, everywhere, forever. We get closer to our goal every day – but we need people like you to help us achieve lasting change.
“My spouse and I have a three year old and it was comforting to know when we didn't have any income, that we still had a way to get food and someone to help us understand the programs.”
A family in Worcester, FoodSource Hotline
2022 Impact
We responded to 20,611 Hotline calls
Our counselors assist callers in 180 languages
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