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Project Bread Celebrates the Inauguration of Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll

Project Bread

Policy Work

Project Bread welcomes Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, and their administration as they assume office on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

We look forward to working closely with their entire team to solve hunger in Massachusetts. In their previous roles, both Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll already established themselves as anti-hunger leaders. In their new roles they will have an incredible opportunity to lead on policies that ensure the equitable access to nutritious food for all residents of the Commonwealth.

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Project Bread VP of Engagement Catalina Lopez-Ospina and Assistant Director of State Policy Leran Minc with Governor Maura Healey in Worcester

As Attorney General, Governor Healey joined a multistate coalition to successfully sue the Trump Administration’s United States Department of Agriculture over a proposed policy that would further restrict access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to some of the most vulnerable adults. She also consistently used her platform to support food security efforts across the state.

As she noted in her inauguration speech, "Today, we need an equal guarantee for our children: that we will continue to offer not just an education but the best education. That means funding the Student Opportunity Act to make sure every student and every school gets the resources they deserve. It means doing more for mental health care and food security. Our students can’t reach their potential if they are homeless or hungry or suffering from untreated mental illness. To support our state, we have to support our children. And we will.”

As Mayor of Salem, Lt. Governor Driscoll presided over the creation of a food policy council and a local food assessment to ensure Salem residents were connected to healthy food. During her time as mayor, Salem Public Schools adopted universal free meals districtwide, shifted to alternative breakfast models, and continually innovated to provide quality meals during the school year and the summer months.

The Governor and Lt. Governor enter their offices at a time where the need to address food insecurity is particularly urgent with more than 1 in 5 families with children continuing to struggle to access enough food and benefits, such as pandemic boosted SNAP ending soon.

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Project Bread VP of Engagement Catalina Lopez-Ospina and Assistant Director of State Policy Leran Minc with Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll in Worcester


Now is also the time where there is tremendous opportunity to solve hunger. We look forward to working with the Healey-Driscoll administration on:

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  • Extending and making permanent a School Meals for All policy that ensures students are prepared to learn and set up for a healthier future by ensuring access to school breakfast and lunch every day. The legislature extended this policy for the 2022-2023 school year making sure more than 400,000 students continued to have robust access to school meals. We ask Governor Healey to work with the legislature to make this policy permanent. There is no path to solving childhood hunger that does not include School Meals for All.
  • Implementing a Common Application to streamline and maximize enrollment in federal and state benefits such as MassHealth, SNAP, and cash assistance programs. The legislature passed this into statute last session, but now the administration will need to design and implement the common application as robustly and expediently as possible.
  • Promoting participation in existing federal nutrition programs. Programs such as SNAP, school meals, summer meals, afterschool meals, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) all represent our strongest approaches to addressing hunger. The whole state government must continue to promote and expand these programs to reach as many residents as possible.
  • Integrate and partner with frontline organizations and individuals with lived expertise in developing, implementing, and evaluating policy. Even as the administration staffs up with highly qualified individuals, there is no replacement for direct experience on how policies and programs truly work. Those who work in the community or directly experience food insecurity must have a significant seat at the table.

Take Action to Solve Hunger

While food insecurity is a big problem, it is one that we can solve. With Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll leading Massachusetts, and all of us working together, we can move the ball forward and realize a Commonwealth free from hunger.

Please join our Action Team to learn more about how you can be part of these efforts.

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