A Statement From Essex County Community Foundation
Starting tomorrow, nearly 140,000 residents across Essex County, many of them children, seniors and residents with disabilities, are likely to lose their SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown. Putting food on the table, already an extreme worry for many, is about to get a lot harder, particularly in the Gateway Cities of Haverhill, Lawrence, Lynn, Methuen, Peabody and Salem, where nearly 80 percent of the region’s SNAP participants live.
Essex County food pantries, still reeling from the early impacts of the government shutdown and the cancellation of critical federal grants, are bracing for a perfect storm. As we approach the holiday season, when the demand for food support is at its highest and families are already choosing between food, heat, medical care and other daily needs, any delay or reduction in SNAP benefits will be devastating to our communities – and put further strain on an already overloaded food security system.
“The food bank and pantry system cannot cover the massive gap that would be created by such an impact on SNAP,” said Robyn Burns, executive director of The Salem Pantry, during a press conference at Project Bread last week. “Still, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to fresh, healthy food.”
That message has been echoed across Essex County, by food pantries and hunger organizations that are mobilizing, as they have always done, to do everything they can to meet the increasing needs of the communities they serve.
This is the moment for Essex County to step up and help ease this burden that our friends, neighbors and local nonprofit organizations are facing. In a region filled with so many resources, not one individual, child or family should have to worry whether they will have food to eat today.
ECCF is urging every person with the means to give in one of two ways:
DONATE DIRECTLY TO YOUR LOCAL FOOD PANTRY OR FOOD BANK
These organizations are the literal lifelines for thousands of Essex County residents. Visit their websites or follow them on social media. Many nonprofits are letting people know, in real time, what they need in this moment. This may include calls for more volunteers to meet the influx in demand.
Food donations are always welcomed, but food pantries and hunger organizations often have buying power that can stretch your dollars further. If you can, please consider making a monetary donation to your local pantry or food bank.
DONATE TO ECCF’S ESSEX COUNTY COMMUNITY RESPONSE FUND
In June 2025, ECCF launched a fund for moments just like these.
The goal of the Essex County Community Response Fund is to deliver fast, flexible resources to support nonprofits meeting the most critical needs of residents – today and in the future. ECCF recently distributed $500,000 in emergency funding to 30 organizations, the majority of which was for food security. And we are committed to raising and distributing as much money as we can during the month of November for hunger organizations big and small across Essex County.
Donating to the Essex County Community Response Fund helps to ensure that resources during this time are spread deeply throughout the region, reaching small and often overlooked organizations.
Learn more and donate to the Essex County Community Response Fund.
If SNAP is not funded by the federal government, more than one million people across Massachusetts that depend on this program – 32% of them children; 31% people with disabilities and 26% of them seniors – will be wondering how they will feed themselves and their families in the coming days.
Community foundations across the state are not only working alongside local officials and partners to mobilize fast and flexible resources for food pantries and food banks, but we’re taking action to be better collective advocates for our food systems and we’re leaning into building resilience for the future while we help tackle the challenges at hand. This is what makes community foundations such strong and vital partners in this work.
Local, collective action is critical right now. Though philanthropy alone cannot solve this problem, it does have a role to play to ensure that our nonprofit organizations have the support and resources they need to meet these unprecedented times.
We urge you to join these collective efforts to help feed our friends and neighbors in any way you can. Thank you.
