Food Insecurity
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP provides 9 meals for every 1 meal a food bank provides, and is the country's most effective and efficient response to hunger because of its ability to scale up and down based on need.
In Massachusetts, SNAP is administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and benefits include:
- Monthly funds on an EBT card to buy food
- $40, $60, or $80 a month put back on your EBT card when you use SNAP to buy local produce via the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
- SNAP Path to Work free education and training opportunities
- Free nutrition education classes and resources
- Connections to other kids of help, like utility discounts, free school meals and discounted admissions to many Commonwealth museums and cultural institutions via EBT Card to Culture
Visit us to see if you are eligible for SNAP or to apply
Visit us for information about SNAP Nutrition Education.
Nourishing the North Shore (NNS)
NNS is a collaborative effort of the Newburyport Health Department and the YWCA of Greater Newburyport. At NNS we are growing food, building community and supporting our local food system so that everyone has enough to eat and eats well! Fresh local produce is available free of charge at our VEG OUT Mobile Markets in Newburyport, Newbury and Salisbury. For more information on NNS, please contact the Health Department at 978-465-4410 x3 or visit Nourishing North Shore online.
Free Community Meals and Food Pantry Information
Here are a few more organizations in the area working to combat food insecurity: