Special to the Independent
On September 28, Senator DiDomenico was invited to the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years. During the summit, President Biden announced an ambitious goal of eliminating hunger and tackling diet-related and preventable diseases in the United States by 2030. Senator DiDomenico has prioritized expanding access to nutritious food and combatting food insecurity for the entirety of his Senate career and has helped create food and nutrition programs in Massachusetts that are now being pointed to as ideas the rest of the country should adopt.
“I was honored to be invited to join leaders from across the country for this historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “In a country so rich with resources we need to end hunger and expand access to nutritious foods throughout the nation. I am thrilled to hear that President Biden and his administration are now making it a priority to achieve these goals this decade. I look forward to building on the many cutting-edge anti-hunger programs we have launched in Massachusetts until we end hunger entirely.”
During the conference, President Biden outlined his administration’s strategy for ending hunger and addressing diet-related diseases. The strategy calls for expanding access to nutrition assistance programs and launching new programs to cover tailored meals.
Many of the nutrition assistance program ideas in the federal government’s plan were piloted in Massachusetts first and championed by Senator DiDomenico. These include expanding school meals to all students, expanding access to SNAP benefits, and providing food to children in the summer months when school is not in session.
Over the past 12 years, Senator DiDomenico has successfully brought many other programs to the Commonwealth that have expanded access to nutritious foods for all families, regardless of income. After advocating for 8 years, Senator DiDomenico helped create a common application this year which allows Massachusetts residents to simultaneously apply for several public benefits, including SNAP benefits, with one common application. DiDomenico also secured increased funding for food banks across the state, increased cash assistance for low-income families with children, and for families in deep poverty.
The White House Conference made it clear that these programs have both helped countless residents in our state and demonstrated that Massachusetts is a national leader on tackling food and nutrition insecurity. Senator DiDomenico will continue to work with colleagues and advocates to advance legislation that will help meet President Biden’s goal.