Anti-hunger advocate Liz Wills-O'Gilvie, 63, said she has not eaten for 15 days in a bid to push Governor Maura Healey to raise funding for Massachusetts' shrinking food stamp program.
By consuming only water, electrolytes and glucose pills, Wills-O'Gilvie, whom Healey last year appointed to an anti-hunger task force, aims to draw attention to rising food insecurity due to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
"I know what (hunger) looks and feels like," said Wills-O'Gilvie, who directs the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food justice organization Gardening the Community.
More than 5.3 million people across the U.S. have lost SNAP benefits since
President Donald Trump made sweeping changes to the program in his 2025 tax and spending law, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Rising food insecurity coupled with higher grocery bills have strained low-income households across the U.S. ahead of the November midterm elections.
U.S. states have raced to implement the changes and some have tightened the SNAP application process to avoid new federal penalties associated with incorrect benefit calculations.
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