Good morning.

For the record, my name is Aaron Murphy at large city counselor, and I am the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Human Services.

Today is March 30th, 2026, and the exact time is 10.06 a.m.

This hearing is being recorded.

It is also being live streamed at Boston.gov backslash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, FIOS Channel 964.

Written comments may be sent to the committee email at ccc.hs at Boston.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals will be called on in the order in which they signed up, and we'll have two minutes to testify.

If you are here in the chamber and you want to testify, there is a sign-in sheet at the door.

You can add your name.

And if you want to testify virtually, you can email Central Staff Liaison Megan.

That is Megan M E A G A M dot C O R U, G E D O at Boston.gov for the link, and your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on docket zero one seven nine in order for a hearing to discuss food insecurity and malnutrition in the city of Boston.

This matter was referred um with by the sponsors, myself and counselor Flynn, and was referred to the Human Services Committee back on January 28th, 2026.

So far today, I am joined by the lead sponsor, Counselor Flynn.

And at this time, um thank you, panel, for being here.

And Jennifer Hanlin Wigan, thank you for being here, Chief Executive Officer from the Women's Lunch Place.

Councillor Murphy for sharing this important hearing.

At the same time, it was found that one in five people in Boston experienced food insecurity compared to one in ten in Massachusetts.

It is critical that we discuss the state of malnutrition, especially for our seniors and working families to better inform policy relating to food access moving forward.

And Councilor Murphy mentioned the panel that are here.

Outstanding work that you've done.

And just on a side note, I just want to highlight the women's lunch place that is on Newbury Street near near Boylston Street at the Copley Copley Library area.

They do exceptional work there, and we're so proud to have them as neighbors.

But what I really respect and admire about this organization is how respectful they are to their guests, but also how they interact with immigrant neighbors, including the Chinese community where they have cultural sensitive food, and the way they communicate and interact with the residents is very professional and respectful.

So I do want to say thank you to Jennifer and the women's lunch place, and my wife and I enjoy visiting several times a year because it's such an outstanding organization.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

And thank you for grounding us in why this hearing order was filed, and proud to sign on with you back in January on this.

Do just want to touch on a few things before we turn it over to you.

You know, food is a human right, and we do see so many nonprofits, if it's churches, community centers, um, health centers.

I know the South Boston Health Center has been, you know, known just stepping up, right?

COVID rarely shown what all of you who have been doing this for so long and many people already knew was such a pandemic across the city.

But for me, which what has been eye-opening in the last few years is the you know population who's needing to go into you know the food pantry lines or needing help and support isn't what people all always think, right?

That the need is is grown, and what I notice when I visited women's lunch place, and when I'm at other places that are providing food, is you know, you're meeting people where they're at, they trust you because almost always, if they need a mail, they need more than just food, and you're providing them with a safe space for other supports that are just so necessary for them to live a full life.

And we talk, I know a lot here too, and one of the things is the chair of the age-strong commission.

Most of the grants that come through that committee are food security for our seniors.

So always just trying to push those through and hoping that the federal grants don't, you know, get cut in any way.

But how can we as a city make sure that we're supporting our food pantries, our lunch places like yours, and just making sure that the city departments, along with public health, and every I feel like every city department is touched on, I know schools see it, especially during break and summer vacations, like the need is there, and there's food, right?

And I hope we touch on that, like how are we making sure that we're getting it to the people who need it, and I'm almost positive you're also gonna talk about the need, and I saw this as a school teacher that it's not enough to just you know grab a snack that could be a sugar drink and a candy bar or a donut that we're providing people not just with culturally sensitive food but with healthy food that they need to grow their minds and their bodies.

So just looking forward to this conversation, and just know that we're a partner, and even though we do know we're going into at least for me, probably the most difficult budget cycle that I've had to sit on, my fifth one, that cuts won't be made when it comes to making sure our residents have the food they need to live.

You know, it's a basic need, so we have to make sure we continue to support you in any way.

So, that being said, um, I'll pass it over to you.

If you you can start wherever if you've already decided, but thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um good morning, Chair Murphy, good morning, Counselor Flynn.

Um, my name is Tabrini Dafonseca, and I'm here on behalf of the Boston Public Health Commission, where I serve as project director for the Boston Community Health Collaborative.

The Boston Community Health Collaborative is a cross-sector partnership co-led by Boston Public Health Commission of local health institutions, community organizations, public health, resident leaders working to support the health and well-being of Boston communities through aligning community health assessment and improvement planning efforts.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify about this important topic.

And great.

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients, or impaired nutrient utilization.

The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet related non-communicable diseases.

Food insecurity is a household level social and economic condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Hunger is a possible outcome of food insecurity.

In Boston, like most cities in the U.S., malnutrition often shows up as obesity.

Obesity is a prevalent and costly chronic condition that can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases.

In the 2025 Boston Community Health Needs Assessment Process led by the Boston Community Health Collaborative, focus group participants discussed obesity as a pressing physical health concern in their communities and in the context of limited access to healthy foods and insufficient opportunities to engage in physical activity.

We are seeing rising trends in food insecurity according to our Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System or Breakfast Survey, with 22.7% of residents reporting that they bought food that didn't last and had no money to get more in 2023, and 14% of residents reporting that they were hungry but not eating enough because they couldn't afford enough food.

One of the primary tools that Boston residents are using to address food insecurity is a supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, which provides critical support to help households afford groceries and meet their basic needs.

And in our 2025 community health needs assessment process, focus group participants elevated rising food costs and reduced SNAP benefits as key barriers to accessing healthy and affordable foods.