As cuts to food assistance come down from the Trump administration, Massachusetts will create an anti-hunger task force to advise on mitigating the losses, Gov. Maura Healey announced Thursday.

“We’re at a time right now where President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made cuts, including cuts to resources that feed kids and seniors and families across this country,” said Healey. “In the midst of that, it was very important to the LG and me that we bring everyone together and say we’re going to work together like never before to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to end and prevent hunger in the Bay State.”

The governor signed an Executive Order creating an Anti-Hunger Task Force on Wednesday, gathering with food assistance advocates and local and state leadership at the Mystic Community Market in Medford.

The announcement comes just under two weeks after the Trump administration signed off on $200 billion in food assistance cuts and new eligibility requirements within the Big Beautiful Bill. The SNAP changes are expected to impact over a million residents in Massachusetts, Healey said.

“These include teens, parents, kids, infants, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities,” said Healey. “A million in Massachusetts alone impacted by this, in a state of 7 million people. All of them, in one way or another, are going to be at greater risk of hunger because of these cuts.”

The governor also noted the SNAP program generates $3 billion annually in the Massachusetts economy across 5,500 businesses.

The SNAP alterations build on the administrations previous cuts of $12 million in federal funding for child care and schools’ food programs, $3.4 million for food banks, and another $6 million for a local farmer to family food program.

The Greater Boston Food Bank found 1 in 3 Massachusetts households experienced food insecurity in 2024, according to the 2025 Cost of Hunger report. The report also found food insecurity has steadily risen over the last five years, from 19% of Massachusetts households in 2019 to 37% in 2024.

“It’s going to get worse in terms of what we’re going to see,” said Greater Boston Food Bank President Catherine D’Amato. “These are not just statistics. These are actually people. These are our neighbors, families being forced to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. Adults skipping meals or their medication to feed their children. Children forgoing education or missing school, and veterans waiting in long car lines in order to get some food resources.”

The task force will include a wide range of representatives from food banks, non-profits, SNAP recipients, farmers and small business owners, along with state and local government.

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The group will work to produce recommendations to mitigate the impact of cuts as they go into effect and develop “longer term, sustainable solutions,” the governor said.

“My message to the public is the need is real,” Healey said. “It exists now, and it’s only going to get worse, given what President Trump and Congress have done with these cruel cuts. Now is the time to contact your local food pantry, find out how you can get involved. Make a donation. They take cash. To offer your time and your energy, and talk about this as an issue and show others how they can get involved. To support one another.”