11,166 Worcester Residents Have Lost SNAP Food Benefits Since June 2025

WORCESTER, Mass. - 11,166 Worcester residents lost access to SNAP benefits between June 2025 and August 2026, a 21.41% decline in SNAP coverage that ranks Worcester among Massachusetts communities for the number of residents affected, according to the Department of Transitional Assistance, the state agency that administers SNAP. If nothing changes, Worcester would lose $ 1,722,900 annually, or more as families continue to lose SNAP.

Statewide, an estimated 196,000 people have lost their SNAP benefits, including 70,000 children, since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill last year. The federal law limited eligibility and increased bureaucratic work for DTA, the state agency that administers SNAP, which is also facing severe staffing shortages. Massachusetts ranks sixth among the 28 states tracking this data for its drop in SNAP participation. With 40% of Massachusetts households facing food insecurity, according to the Greater Boston Food Bank, these losses do not reflect a decrease in need.

The losses also affect local grocery stores, farms, and food retailers whose bottom line depends on people using SNAP. Every $1.00 spent using SNAP benefits generates around $1.50 to $1.80 in revenue for the state’s broader economy.

“If you need help from the state government, you deserve to have your calls answered,” says Erin McAleer, president and CEO of Project Bread. “No one should have to fight this hard to get help affording food, especially when they know they’re eligible.”

In the first six months of 2026, three out of four calls into the DTA assistance line went unanswered due to high call volume and severe understaffing. Last month, Gov. Maura Healey proposed a FY27 supplemental budget that includes $26 million for DTA caseworkers, funding existing positions and allowing for 10 net new caseworkers. That falls far below the 200 additional caseworkers estimated to fix the staffing crisis. Between April and September of this year, Project Bread received 6,237 SNAP-related calls, accounting for 60% of all calls to its FoodSource Hotline. Project Bread and its Make Hunger History Coalition are calling on the state to prioritize an additional $56 million investment in the agency.

“The bottom line is, people are in crisis, and there are funds available to help them,” says McAleer. “It is Massachusetts’ responsibility to make sure they can feed their families.”

Worcester residents who have lost SNAP benefits or need help affording food can call the FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In 2025, Project Bread’s Hotline team completed 3,779 SNAP pre-screens and 510 SNAP applications over the phone. Counselors assist callers in more than 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide food security nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible, so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

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