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The May Food SNAP Coalition meeting is tomorrow, May 24th from 10 to Noon at St Francis House in Boston: 39 Boylston Street, 6th Floor.

The AGENDA will include:

The Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee released its proposed budget for FY 2012. The following is a summary of some of the key issues that Coalition members are concerned about relative to the state WIC dollars DTA benefits and services, and MEFAP funding.

On the WIC front:

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means is planning to release its proposed FY2012 state budget on May 18th in anticipation of debate starting May 25th. According to the State House News Service, the Senate will "take up its version of the House's $30.5 billion fiscal 2012 budget on Wednesday, May 25. Amendments to the Senate budget must be filed by Friday, May 20, at noon.... The budget will be the first for new Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sen.

Massachusetts is expected to lose over $2 billion in federal food stamp/SNAP benefits during the next 10 fiscal years if proposals before Congress to "block grant" the SNAP program prevail. Currently more than 800,000 Massachusetts residents (children, seniors, parents, persons with disabilities) receive SNAP benefits, comprising 440,000 SNAP households. The value of SNAP benefits received in Massachusetts exceeds $100M per month – more than $1.2B a year.