La Colaborativa and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Launch Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign

Special to the Record

La Colaborativa and The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute hosted an event to launch their Feeding Our Neighbors campaign on Wednesday, February 15..

The campaign’s purpose is twofold: to raise awareness to the plight of the immigrant community who lack access to basic needs and benefits, and to highlight the need for both legislation and funding to restore basic food and cash assistance benefits for legally present immigrants.

Shown (from rom left), are Georgia Katsoulomitis Executive Director Mass Law Reform Institute, State Representative Judith Garcia, Chelsea resident Evangelina, her children Amber and Alejandra, and School Committee Member Yessenia Alfaro.
Pictured at the press conference in Chelsea announcing the Feeding Our Neighbors campaign are, from left, Norieliz DeJesus Director of Policy at La Colaborativa, Sen. Sal DiDomenico, Georgia Katsoulomitis Executive Director Mass Law Reform Institute, La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega, State Rep. Judith Garcia, and Senior Policy Analyst of MLRI Pat Baker.

The launch of the campaign was held at La Colaborativa’s food pantry at 63 Sixth St., Chelsea. La Colaborativa, under the leadership of Executive Director Gladys Vega, distributes emergency food to roughly 5,000 families from Chelsea and surrounding communities each week.

“Our organization has been at the forefront of the challenges our families face pre- and post-pandemic. At the top of the list of needs is food insecurity, which comes to no surprise as most of our community members serve our state as essential workers and were drastically impacted economically,” said Vega. “We see hundreds of families form our food lines for hours on a weekly basis and it’s only getting worse.”

Over 25 years ago, the 1996 Welfare Reform Law slashed core food and cash assistance benefits to thousands of legally present immigrants across the nation — including victims of violence, “Dreamers,” immigrants with pending asylum, and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status. The bulk of immigrants are working low-wage jobs, but are unable to meet their basic food needs for their families. In 1997, the Massachusetts Legislature authorized basic cash and food assistance for needy immigrants, but the benefits ended in 2002. Six states in the nation currently provide state-funded benefits to eligible immigrants, including California, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and Washington State.

On January 19, 2023 State Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representatives Judith Garcia Antonio Cabral filed bills in the Senate, SD 507, and House, HD 2684, to address this issue. Both bills would enable the Commonwealth to provide legally present immigrants, who are ineligible for federal programs, with access to both state-funded supplemental food (SNAP) and, for families with minor children, cash assistance benefits.

“To say I’m proud of the legislation we filed is an understatement,” said Sen. DiDomenico. “These bills push us toward a higher standard for not only Massachusetts, but for the entire United States when it comes to assisting legal immigrants.”

The Feeding Our Neighbors campaign comes at a critical time. During the summer of 2022, more than 2,000 individuals arrived in Massachusetts, double the number who arrived a year earlier. That trend is expected to continue as numerous global economic challenges and political conflicts force more people to flee their home countries. The legislation will provide a framework for critical basic needs to help these individuals acclimate to their new surroundings and provide supplemental nutrition benefits to their low-wage earnings as well as help other immigrant families who are continuing to struggle economically since the onset of Covid.

 “Many of our residents In Chelsea have to deal with a myriad of issues when they arrive,” said Rep. Garcia. “The legislation filed will help them meet some of their core living expenses.”

“New Bedford and the Commonwealth are receiving many newly settled immigrants, said Rep. Cabral. “We are a nation of immigrants who are the backbone of this country. I am proud to have secured funding for these critical benefits from 1997 to 2002. I firmly believe it’s time to restore access to some of these benefits, such as nutritional support and other basic needs, as these newly arriving families get their feet on the ground.” 

“We are thrilled to partner with La Colaborativa on this vital campaign,” said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “Two decades is far too long to not have protections in place for legally present immigrants in this state, the majority of whom are already contributing to the economy but with very low-wage jobs that don’t support their families. This is the beginning of rectifying the issue.”

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