Editor’s note: Wellesley Middle School Social Studies students as part of a Civics Action Project have this week taken over The Swellesley Report‘s letters-to-the-editor page. The students are well-versed in their topics, have carefully researched all angles, and are ready to present their opinions to the community. Thank you to the WMS Social Studies teachers for organizing this community-based project.

To the editor:

I’m writing to inform you of a rising issue in our community: food insecurity in Massachusetts. In Wellesley, one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts, approximately 18.4% of residents do not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs. Almost one in five people doesn’t have proper access!

Our main goal is to lower the percentage of food insecurity, allow more people to get enough food to meet their basic needs and have food pantries across Massachusetts be partly government funded.

Not enough food has been proven to negatively impact individuals’ physical and mental health. The causes of food insecurity in Massachusetts are the rising housing costs, inflation, and unemployment, which ultimately leads to families not being able to afford food.

In Wellesley and Boston, there are food pantries that fight against food insecurity, offering help and food to the residents in need. These pantries operate off donations from individuals, businesses, but if we were to have pantries partly government funded we can further feed and help communities across Massachusetts.

In this project we want to inform others of this issue, begin more food drives, and possibly have food pantries across Massachusetts become partly government funded.

Thank you.

Jemma Wu