Thirty-one independent restaurants throughout Massachusetts have secured a cumulative $900,000 in state grant funding to address food insecurity, MassDevelopment announced Tuesday.
Restaurants use the money to prepare meals and other food, which are then distributed to food banks and pantries, senior centers, schools and emergency food distribution centers. MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency, oversees the program that distributed grants ranging from $7,000 to $45,000 per restaurant.
“The benefits of the Food Insecurity Grant Program for Independent Restaurants are two-fold, strengthening our local restaurants and food-service supply chains while at the same time enhancing access to high-quality prepared meals and food products for those facing food insecurity in Massachusetts,” Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, who also chairs MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors, said.
More than one in three Massachusetts residents experienced food insecurity last year, according to a recent report from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham. Gov. Maura Healey launched an anti-hunger task force in July as the state braces for massive SNAP cuts tied to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Restaurant grant recipients are located in Amherst, Bernardston, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Dartmouth, Dracut, Gardner, Greenfield, Hadley, Hingham, Holyoke, Lawrence, Ludlow, North Adams, Northampton, Pittsfield, Revere, Southwick, Springfield, Weston and Worcester.
Central Massachusetts restaurants that received funding include:
– Simple Man Saloon in Clinton received $34,500
– Chair City Diner in Gardner received $33,750
– Tembo Grill in Worcester received $34,550
“Massachusetts is fortunate to be home to many local restaurants that create jobs and vibrancy in our communities, and this program is creating a new source of revenue to help them stay competitive while also seeking to address food insecurity statewide,” MassDevelopment CEO Navjeet Bal said.
