Cambridge Voters to Decide Fate of Right-to-Food Proposal

Last year, more than 12.8 million emergency meals were served in the greater Boston area. The number of families supported by food pantries increased more than 55 percent. Eighty million children are going hungry.

These statistics, compiled by Project Bread, an anti-hunger organization, are the target of a Cambridge food policy proposal that would guarantee all citizens the right to food. If passed, the policy would call on the city to coordinate its welfare services and raise awareness of the problem of hunger within Cambridge, City Councillors said.

The question, as it will appear on the November 5 ballot, urges the city to "recognize the right of every resident of accessible, safe, nutritious, culturally acceptable and affordable food, without barriers and without stigma."

"We view [the proposal] as a way to open the people's and bureacracy's eyes to understand the magnitude of the problem and to address it," said Councillor Edward N. Cyr, who introduced the question.

"Food and shelter are basic needs, but we've never really dealt with them... We have a housing policy but no food policy," Cyr said. "Hunger is a problem we don't take seriously."

If voters approve the proposal, the city would likely review, streamline and possibly increase spending on its food pantries and shelters to ensure the distribution of food to all Cambridge citizens, according to Cyr.

Upon voter approval of the policy, the council would "call together all city services to catalog all programs that exist, identify significant gaps and find ways to fill those gaps immediately," Cyr said.

In addition, following recommendations of the Bread and Justice Food Programs of the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, the city would probably ensure the participation of 50 percent of eligible children in the Summer Food Service Program for Children in 1992 and 100 percent of eligible families in applying for subsidized school meals.

The proposal would be the only official food policy in any city in Massachusetts, according to Cyr.

Final Cost Unclear

Although Cyr could not estimate the cost of support of the policy, he predicted that the council would spend money from the city's operating budget on social programs to feed Cambridge's hungry.

"It is entirely up to the voters whether or not they want to spend money on this area," Councillor William H. Walsh said. "I think Cambridge people, when it comes to helping the poor and needy, are always there."

Walsh added that any expenditure of money to finance the policy would ultimately be in the hands of City Manager Robert W. Healy.

Although Walsh predicted that Healy would approve the expenditure, Financial Director James P. Maloney said he is unsure of the city's ability to pay for such a program.

"We are clearly facing hard times," Maloney said. "We are using more free cash than at any point in the city's history and we are approaching the tax levy limit... Voting is the first step. Funding is open."

Maloney said Cambridge is a leader among municipalities in providing social services.

Some of the problems that the food policy would address were brought to light by studies conducted by Project Bread, a private organization committed to helping the hungry, Cyr said.

According to Project Bread's statewide study on childhood hunger, one out of four children may be hungry, 80,000 children under 12 are going hungry and 115,000 children under 12 are at risk of being hungry.

"When it was released last spring, it sent shockwaves out to the community," Annette R. Casas, Director of Programs at Project Bread said. "It was a truly surprising report."

The study, "Children Are Hungry in Massachusetts," was conducted in conjunction with the Massachusetts Anti-Hunger Coalition and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Casas added that more than 12.8 million emergency meals were served and that the numbers of households supported by food pantries rose more than 55 percent last year.

"If there is any measure of how bad the economy is, it's that there are children going to school hungry and elderly waiting in the cold at food pantries," Cyr said. "We need to recognize hunger as a significant social problem that needs to be addressed."