Oh, SNAP! (Pantry to Become SNAP Community Partner)

According to the Franklin Food Pantry, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) just published its August scorecard, revealing that 77% of calls to a caseworker on the Assistance Line were automatically dropped. This leaves thousands of families without access to critical help. At the same time, the number of children receiving SNAP has fallen by 70,000 (a 21% decline) since July 2025. This isn’t because the need has gone away—in fact, child visits to the Franklin Food Pantry have increased by 35%.

To help meet the growing need and address the record number of people losing access to SNAP, the Franklin Food Pantry said it will offer on-site SNAP Assistance to Franklin residents beginning in November.

In partnership with the DTA and UMass Medical School, trained Pantry staff will have direct access to the DTA Connect Provider Portal. This allows us to work directly with clients to check SNAP eligibility, submit new applications, and complete recertifications efficiently.

Due to high anticipated demand, we are initially offering this service to Franklin residents, with plans to expand regional access in 2027. Franklin residents can schedule an appointment by emailing appointments@franklinfoodpantry.org
or calling 508-528-3115.

Nationally, in fiscal year 2025, SNAP served an average of about 42.4 million people per month. Benefits totaled about $95.8 billion and were included in approximately $102.6 billion in total program costs.In 2017, approximately 9.2% of American households obtained SNAP benefits at some point, with approximately 16.7% of all children living in households with SNAP benefits.