The Honorable Michael Rodrigues
The Honorable Eric Lesser
The Honorable Patrick O’Connor
State House, Boston, MA 02133
The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz
The Honorable Mark Cusack
The Honorable Michael Soter
State House, Boston, MA 0213
Chair Rodrigues, Chair Michlewitz, and Distinguished Members of the Economic Development Conference Committee:
As community college presidents across the Commonwealth, we respectfully urge your support of Outside Section 5A of S3030, An Act relating to economic growth and relief for the Commonwealth. Outside Section 5A would establish into law the Hunger Free Campus Initiative.
Our community colleges are the backbone of economic recovery, providing skilled workers in every key trade in the Commonwealth. As we move beyond the pandemic, we have a shared commitment to ensure that our students are well-trained and ready to contribute to the workforce after graduation. But, with the high cost of living in Massachusetts, including the increasing cost of food, many of our students find themselves without adequate access to food as they try to complete their education. We also know that food insecurity on many of our campuses disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ students. Our students should not have to choose between food and their textbooks or rent, nor can they learn successfully if their basic needs are not met.
Outside Section 5A directs the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to establish a grant program to support colleges in addressing student food insecurity through such measures as notifying and assisting students in applying for SNAP and WIC benefits, urging on-campus grocers to apply to accept SNAP EBT for food purchases, implementing meal share programs, and building partnerships with area food pantries.
We are deeply grateful for the American Rescue Plan Act funding that you authorized in December of 2021 and that DHE has released the funding RFP that our campuses are now pursuing for the current school year. We also know that the leadership of DHE will be critical to ensuring our campuses achieve lasting results in the years ahead. With your support, we can make the Commonwealth’s campuses hunger-free.
We are mindful of the fact that supporting our most vulnerable students in meeting their basic needs is the key to their retention and successful completion of their education. It is also instrumental in ensuring their success in their post-college careers and their contributions to the Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
David Podell, President
MassBay Community College
Chair, Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges
John B. Cook, President
Springfield Technical Community College
John L. Cox, President
Cape Cod Community College
Ray DiPasquale, President
Massasoit Community College
Laura L. Douglas, President
Bristol Community College
Pam Eddinger, President
Bunker Hill Community College
Lane A. Glenn, President
Northern Essex Community College
William Heineman, President
North Shore Community College
Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Interim President
Roxbury Community College
Ellen L. Kennedy, President
Berkshire Community College
Luis Pedraja, President
Quinsigamond Community College
Christina Royal, President
Holyoke Community College
Michelle Schutt, President
Greenfield Community College
Philip J. Sisson, President
Middlesex Community College
James Vander Hooven, President
Mount Wachusett Community College
CC: The Honorable Karen Spilka, Senate President
The Honorable Ronald Mariano, Speaker of the House
The Honorable Jerald Parisella
The Honorable Anne M. Gobi
The Honorable David M. Rogers
Original source can be found here.
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