Heating and food aid demand jumps in Worcester
WORCESTER—Worcester’s heating assistance program has already logged more than 9,000 applications this season—more than half its typical annual total—as residents continue to feel the aftershocks of the recent federal shutdown and changes to benefit programs.
City officials recently announced a $250,000 emergency allocation for food and heating support. The funds are part of a larger $1 million United Response Fund, built from contributions across the community: a $250,000 match from the United Way of Central Massachusetts (UWCM), $150,000 from the Worcester County Food Bank, $100,000 from the Worcester Railers Hockey Club, $87,500 from the Esler Family Foundation and $75,170 from a private donor.
“The $250K allocation was a result of residents losing access to SNAP benefits/heating assistance due to the government shutdown and changes to the benefits programs,” said Tom Matthews, spokesperson for the Worcester city manager’s office. “The number is a result of ARPA funds that were identified for use.”
“We are seeing a very high demand season this year,” said Marybeth Campbell, chief executive officer of Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC). “High costs of utilities and fuel, coupled with the high cost of housing, food and other basic necessities certainly drive demand.”
Campbell said WCAC normally distributes $10–12 million during the heating season; right now, it has roughly one-tenth of that available — funds she said may only carry through the end of the calendar year and serve about one-third of the households the agency typically helps.
The strain is sharply felt in Worcester Public Schools, where 73% of 25,000 students come from low-income families. “The initial $150,000 would have only provided 1,500 gift cards,” said Dan O’Brien, chief communications officer for the district. “No child should go hungry due to the government shutdown.”
City Manager Eric D. Batista said the response reflects the community’s instinct to act quickly. “One in four people in Worcester are losing their access to healthy food and are at risk of going hungry or cold," he said. "So, we are doing what Worcester does best in a crisis: coming together and finding a way forward.”
As distribution plans come together, Echo Lacey, special projects and initiatives director at the United Way of Central Massachusetts, said the $250,000 in ARPA funds will be reserved strictly for Worcester residents. “The hope is for 1,500 eligible homes to receive $100 food gift cards,” she said. “The remaining $100,000 would be used for utility assistance through Worcester Community Action Council’s fuel assistance program.”
The need extends throughout the region. Eighty thousand people across Worcester County receive SNAP benefits, including 54,500 in Worcester alone — roughly a quarter of the city’s population.
“It’s tricky to estimate because our funding supports Worcester and its surrounding 30 towns,” Lacey said. “Within the funded region of the United Way of Central MA, almost 70% of SNAP recipients live in Worcester… I would imagine based on need, at least 70% of the funding will be spent to assist Worcester residents.”
Jean McMurray, chief executive officer of the Worcester County Food Bank, underscored that long-term strategies remain essential even amid emergency response. “Advocacy is always the most important thing that people can do to have the biggest impact,” she said. “Hunger is a solvable problem; it’s a systemic issue and we as a society need to commit to long-term program and policy solutions.”
This marks the city’s third round of heating assistance support this season.
By: Matt Olszewski
