“Hunger never takes a holiday” was the rallying cry of a southern New England food bank over thirty years ago.

Today, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one in three people have experienced food insecurity over the past year—1 in 3. According to The Greater Boston Food Bank’s Fourth Annual Statewide Report, 1.9 million adults “reported running out of food or not having enough money to pay for groceries.” Those who have experienced food insecurity say that high inflation and rising food costs account for 73% of the “barriers” to getting three meals on the table. The high cost of rents or home ownership; too many low wage jobs, job loss or unemployment; and limited transportation opportunities also add to these food access challenges. This, in a state that has been named the country’s 3^rd wealthiest and holds the 12^th highest GDP. Where is the justice in that?

Rural areas typically face more hunger challenges due to lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods. Yet in Bristol and Plymouth counties, the city of Fall River is home to a staggering 61% of those experiencing food insecurity, followed by New Bedford at 52%, Taunton 38%, Wareham 34%, and Brockton 31%.

The number of agencies that partner and collaborate in the fight against hunger is remarkable. From national and regional food banks to local farmers and farmers’ markets, multiple organizations—nonprofits, health care institutions, state and federal agencies, and local businesses—continue to work together to narrow and fill the gaps between meals needed and meals served. These groups, varied in number and type, play monumental roles in getting nutritious, healthy, wholesome food into the mouths and onto the tables of those who are food insecure.

A farmers’ food hub, Coastal Foodshed, helps bring farmers and consumers together throughout Greater New Bedford and the Southcoast, improving food equity by offering multiple distribution mechanisms and payment options, including SNAP/HIP.

The Hingham Farmers’ Market collaborates with the Hingham Food Pantry and the Fruit Center Marketplace, with some of the vendors donating leftover fresh produce and baked goods at the end of the market sessions.

Lolans Farm is among many farms in Middleborough who donate excess products to food pantries as a normal part of business. Smart!

For those of you who have stories and aren’t mentioned in this issue, we encourage you to post your programs, contributions, and volunteerism on our Facebook page for National Hunger Action Month in September, and we encourage you to share your stories throughout the fall.

Hunger does need to take a holiday. In fact, it needs to take a permanent holiday and take all days off. Every individual deserves to have the same food access, whether rural, suburban, or urban. It is imperative to build awareness of the issue, and then vocalize and support the need for systemic change to improve food access and eradicate food insecurity. Then, at last, justice will prevail.