LYNN — Congressmen Jim McGovern and Seth Moulton visited Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS) on Thursday afternoon as part of McGovern’s EndHungerNow Massachusetts tour, highlighting the growing challenges of food insecurity across the Commonwealth.
The visit, held at GLSS headquarters in Lynn, included a tour and cooking class at the Phoenix Food Hub, followed by a small-group discussion with the seniors and Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. The event concluded with a press conference, where the lawmakers addressed the impact of rising grocery costs and federal policy changes on families in Massachusetts’ Sixth District and beyond.
McGovern opened the press conference by thanking local leaders and staff, including GLSS CEO Kathy Burns and Valerie Parker Callahan, senior director of Planning and Development at GLSS.
“This food hub is a lifeline for people in and around the Lynn area. And the reason I’m doing this statewide tour is to shine a spotlight on an organization that’s like.” McGovern said. “Organizations that are doing amazing, incredible, inspiring work to end hunger, improve the security in every community in Massachusetts.”
The Phoenix Food Hub offers cooking classes, nutrition counseling, and assistance with food benefits enrollment.
McGovern described it as “an amazing model of what it looks like when a community comes together to say that nobody is gonna go hungry,” and noted the importance of partnerships with health care providers, adding, “I appreciate Mass General Brigham’s support for this incredible program.”
During the visit, the lawmakers met directly with the senior citizens.
“We are here today to highlight the incredible work going on here, but we’re also here to listen… And I will tell you, they were all good teachers. We learned a lot,” he said.
McGovern said the message he has heard throughout his statewide tour is consistent.
“What we heard today, and what I’ve heard in almost every stop along this tour, is that food prices are too damn high. Wages are not going up, and families are struggling more than ever.”
He sharply criticized recent federal actions affecting nutrition assistance.
“Nearly 100,000 people in this state are at risk of losing food assistance, because this president and House Republicans passed their big ugly bill,” McGovern added. “ And when they did that, they stole nearly 200 billion dollars…in food assistance. The largest cut to food assistance ever in American history.”
“And that bill eliminated Snap Ed, a federal program that funds cooking classes, just like the one we saw here today. And we pledge, if we can change the makeup of Congress, to come back and restore that funding.”
McGovern emphasized the broader consequences of hunger, especially for seniors and children.
“Senior citizens, who go without food, end up taking their prescription on an empty stomach. And they end up in an emergency room. Kids… who go to school on Monday, and (are) hungry because they haven’t eaten all weekend. They can’t pay attention (in school),” he said.
He added, “We’re the richest country in the history of the world. We have 46 million Americans who are hungry or food insecure. As a member of Congress, I am ashamed of that.”
Moulton echoed McGovern’s concerns, calling Lynn’s approach a national model.
“When Jim McGovern, the expert in the entire Congress and the country on these issues, says that Lynn is knocking it out of the park, we should be very proud of Lynn,” Moulton said.
“What we saw today was inspiring. It’s people coming together, a community coming together to support each other,” he stated, “… to collaborate, and to show a path forward…at a time when a lot of people are losing hope.”
“Jim mentioned there are 40 million Americans who depend on food assistance today,” Moulton began. We share another number: 400 million. The cost of the new White House ballroom that Trump wants to build, because that’s his priority, as opposed to feeding American families,” he added.
“Being able to eat is just a human right. It should not be debatable. It is a human right to be able to feed yourself and your family,” Moulton said.
Callahan said the visit affirmed years of collaborative work.
“I am so appreciative… That both congressmen took the time to come… Because we really have built something quite amazing here, and got it through partnership,” she stated after the press conference. “And we’ve done it sort of quietly, but now it’s here.”
She added, “It is a result of a working community coming together. And so, the fact that they came to see it, and liked what they saw, is wonderful.”
Callahan described the program as the product of many partners working together and said she was “very proud of everyone who’s working on it.”
“Seth and I, when we go back to Washington, we’re gonna brag about this visit,” McGovern said. “And we’re gonna try to encourage our colleagues to pay attention to what you’re doing here and replicate it in their districts.”
“Thank you very much,” McGovern stated. “We appreciate your guidance and your wisdom and your advice.”
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
