Stand in Hunger Action Alert – Rural Advancement Fund

Click here for Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese versions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:Liz Wills-O’Gilvie, Springfield EATS, liz@springfieldfoodpolicycouncil.org 413-244-5859Lorette Picciano, Executive Director, Rural Coalition, lpicciano@ruralco.org 703-624-8869
Stand in Hunger: A National Call for Solidarity, Food Justice, and Action
Springfield, Massachusetts — August 21, 2026 —
20 days ago, liz Wills-O’Gilvie who co-leads Springfield EATS made a simple decision: to stand in hunger with her neighbors.
“I did not begin this with a strategic plan. I led with my heart,” said Wills-O’Gilvie. “I knew that if my neighbors were going hungry, I could not simply stand by and watch.”
What began as a personal act of solidarity in Western Massachusetts has grown into a national call for communities to Stand in Hunger. The Rural Coalition, Farm Aid, and other organizations; the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Kansas Black Farmers Association, Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, the National Family Farm Coalition, the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, Farmworker Association of Florida, World Farmers, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, American Indian Mothers, Inc., the Northwest Forest Workers Center, the Rural Advancement Fund of the National Sharecroppers Fund, and the American Indian Movement IC, are among those who have joined the effort.
The action has also received coverage from NEPM, Boston Globe, WWLP and Reuters.
With millions of people facing reductions or loss of SNAP benefits and eligible families encountering barriers to accessing assistance, Springfield EATS is calling on farmers, food justice organizations, faith communities, service providers, advocates, elected officials, and people of conscience to participate.
Participants are asked to fast for one meal or one day during August and September in solidarity with people experiencing hunger.
“This is not about pretending that one meal without food is the same as living with the constant uncertainty of not knowing how you will feed your family,” Wills-O’Gilvie said. “It is about pausing long enough to feel, in some small way, what hunger means—and using that experience to move our hearts and our communities toward action.”
“The Rural Coalition and our partners join Springfield EATS in calling on you to uplift this call for Federal and State elected leaders to ensure significant investment in, and ensure access to, SNAP benefits for our most vulnerable neighbors. As organizations that advocate for access to healthy food, we recognize the SNAP program also comprises an important market for small-scale local farmers and ranchers whose financial viability depends upon these benefits and others from the long-pending Farm Bill which Congress must pass or extend before it expires again on Sept. 30, 2026.
We urge you to join us in Standing in Hunger to support our neighbors.”
WEEKLY ACTION STEPSEvery day: Contact your legislators directly or use the FRAC Action Network to urge your senators to move a Farm Bill that makes significant investments and reverses the crushing impacts of deep Supplemental Nutrition Program(SNAP) cuts in HR 1, through the Farm Bill and any other legislative vehicle.You can find information to reach your two senators here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/You can find your representative’s information here: https://www.house.gov/representatives
Every Monday: Be mindful and learn more about the SNAP program and dispel myths. Watch for a link to a conversation between U.S Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-D2) and state poverty experts about 30 years of harm, hard-won progress, and lessons for today’s fight in next Monday’s Action Alert.
Every Wednesday: Fast for a meal or day in solitude or in community gatherings or prayer and share what you’re doing here.
Every Tuesday and Thursday in August & September: Share the stories of those impacted SNAP recipients and farmers and listen to one of the stories which originally compelled liz to fast.
Every Friday: Tell your U.S. Senators and Representatives why you are standing in hunger and what you are hearing from your community.You can find information for your two senators here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/You can find your representative’s information here: https://www.house.gov/representatives
Throughout August & September: Share SNAP resources and stories with legislators and the public, contact legislators, and amplify the need for a strong SNAP program. Let them know how much these cuts are hurting their constituents and neighbors.
“Most advocacy organizations are quiet in August.Seize this moment.”Make your solidarity visible by recording a short video for TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn saying:
“My name is____. I am with ____. And I am standing in hunger in solidarity with the thousands of families who have lost or are at risk of losing SNAP benefits and calling for their restoration.”
Use #StandinHunger and #FoodPoverty and invite others to join
Tag @ruralco and @springfieldmafpcWe must ask ourselves “What kind of country do we want to be if we are willing to let our neighbors go hungry while we have the ability to do something about it?”
liz says “Not our country, Not on our watch.”
Read broader background on this effort here and our previous press release.