Massachusetts Anti-Hunger Advocate Fasts To Protest Trump Food Stamp Cuts​

Anti-hunger advocate Liz Wills-O’Gilvie, 63, said she has not eaten for 15 days in a bid to push Governor Maura Healey ​to raise funding for Massachusetts’ shrinking food stamp program.

By consuming only water, ‌electrolytes and glucose pills, Wills-O’Gilvie, whom Healey last year appointed to an anti-hunger task force, aims to draw attention to rising food insecurity due to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition ​Assistance Program.

I was sitting very, very close to Mr. Thompson’s widow and she sort of choked up.

“I know what (hunger) looks and feels like,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, who directs ​the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food justice organization ⁠Gardening the Community.

More than 5.3 million people across the U.S. have lost SNAP benefits ​since President Donald Trump made sweeping changes to the program in his 2025 tax and spending law, ​according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Rising food insecurity coupled with higher grocery bills have strained low-income households across the U.S. ahead of the November midterm elections.

U.S. states have raced ​to implement the changes and some have tightened the SNAP application process to avoid ​new federal penalties associated with incorrect benefit calculations.

Massachusetts’ Department of Transitional Assistance, which administers SNAP, said ‌enrollment ⁠is down by nearly 182,000 people, including nearly 65,000 children.

DTA staff are overwhelmed and people are losing benefits because they cannot reach caseworkers, said Wills-O’Gilvie, who Healey appointed to a state Anti-Hunger Task Force created last July after Trump’s law ​passed.

Wills-O’Gilvie said ​she spoke last ⁠week with Healey, who told her she was working on the issue.

According to DTA data, the agency has seen a ​9% rise in daily calls since last year, with about ​47% unable ⁠to connect, up from about 37%.

The DTA and Healey’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Now unable to drive due to her fasting, Wills-O’Gilvie, who suffers from ⁠lupus ​and hypoglycemia, said she has also met with ​state legislators in her home.

“I can’t let people down,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, adding that she intends to forgo ​food indefinitely.

COURTESY: Reuters