Full Breakdown
Massachusetts Anti-Hunger Advocate Begins 15-Day Fast to Press Governor for SNAP Funding
8/16/2026, 8:55:42 PM
Core Event
Liz Wills-O'Gilvie, a 63-year-old director of the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food-justice group Gardening the Community, has stopped eating for 15 days, subsisting only on water, electrolytes and glucose pills. She began the hunger strike to compel Governor Maura Healey to increase state funding for Massachusetts’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which she says is “shrinking.”
Background & Context
The federal SNAP overhaul enacted in President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax and spending law eliminated benefits for an estimated 5.3 million Americans, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. In Massachusetts, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) reports a drop of nearly 182,000 SNAP enrollees, including roughly 65,000 children. The agency also notes a 9 % rise in daily call volume since the prior year, with about 47 % of callers unable to reach a caseworker, up from 37 % previously. Rising food insecurity and higher grocery prices have intensified pressure on low-income families nationwide as the November midterm elections approach.
Official Statements & Responses
Governor Healey told Wills-O'Gilvie last week that she is addressing the issue, though the governor’s office and the DTA declined to comment further for this report. Wills-O'Gilvie, who was appointed by Healey to a statewide Anti-Hunger Task Force formed in July after the federal changes, said she has continued meetings with state lawmakers from home because her fasting now prevents her from driving.
Data & Statistics
- 5.3 million lost SNAP benefits nationally – U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Massachusetts enrollment decline: ~182,000 people, including ~65,000 children – DTA.
- DTA call-center volume up 9 %; 47 % of callers unable to connect – DTA.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I know what (hunger) looks and feels like,” — Liz Wills-O'Gilvie, anti-hunger advocate
