1/8/2024 0 Comments Homemade incubatorThey also want to make sure those choices are spread as evenly throughout the state as possible. Mangini said her team will use a data-based approach to find restaurants that not only satisfy program requirements within priority neighborhoods, but also reflect a commitment to ethnic cuisine. “Restaurants have the unique ability to meet the needs of certain communities.”įor those without the physical ability or means to store and assemble those groceries, the RMP can create an access point to nutritious and culturally appropriate meal options through local restaurants and food trucks, Mangini said. “You can buy ham, you can buy cheese, you can buy bread, but you can't buy a ham-and-cheese sandwich,” said Steven Clark, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. SNAP doesn’t cover prepared meals, so the program is only as strong as an individual’s ability to store and cook ingredients. Brittany Mangini, associate commissioner for Food Security and Nutrition Programs, said DTA will use a homelessness indicator as well as records of age and disability status within the SNAP database to track client eligibility identified individuals and their spouses need not take any additional steps to enroll.Īt large, SNAP provides monthly stipends for food-purchasing assistance, dependent on several factors such as household size and income, through electronic benefit transfer cards issued to each client, who can then spend their benefits at grocery stores and farmer’s markets. Once the RMP is up and running, SNAP recipients who are homeless, disabled, or 60 and above can opt to spend their benefits on prepared food from approved vendors. As a resource for low-income families and individuals, the department oversees SNAP alongside other economic and occupational support programs. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance has spent well over a year bringing this program to the commonwealth, which is expected to start in November. Amidst a summer of persistent heat and economic uncertainty, Massachusetts will soon become the eighth state to operate the Restaurant Meals Program, a pilot program allowing select restaurants and food trucks to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
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