Nationwide — Liz Wills-O’Gilvie, a 63-year-old African American woman from Springfield, Massachusetts, has gone 15 days without food to protest cuts to food assistance. She is urging Governor Maura Healey to increase funding for struggling SNAP recipients and has reportedly survived on water, electrolytes, and glucose pills during the protest. According to the Independent, she hopes the fast will draw attention to the growing number of people struggling to afford food as SNAP benefits shrink and grocery prices remain high.
She leads the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food justice group Gardening the Community, where she works with people facing hunger. Her experience with food insecurity has shaped her decision to continue the fast. “I know what (hunger) looks and feels like,” she said.
More than 5.3 million people across the country have lost SNAP benefits since President Donald Trump signed his 2025 tax and spending law, U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show. At the same time, higher grocery prices have added pressure on low-income families.
The state of Massachusetts has also recorded a sharp decline in SNAP enrollment, with nearly 182,000 people losing benefits, including about 65,000 children. Wills-O’Gilvie said the problem goes beyond losing benefits. Many residents are having trouble reaching caseworkers when they need help with their SNAP cases. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance has seen a 9% increase in daily call volume compared with last year. About 47% of callers are unable to connect with the agency, up from 37%.
She was appointed by Healey to the state’s Anti-Hunger Task Force last July, shortly after Trump’s legislation passed. Wills-O’Gilvie said she spoke with Healey last week, and the governor told her she was working to address the problems.
The hunger strike has also limited Wills-O’Gilvie’s ability to travel because she can no longer drive. She has continued meeting with state lawmakers from her home despite dealing with lupus and hypoglycemia. Despite the physical toll, Wills-O’Gilvie said she plans to continue the hunger strike indefinitely. “I can’t let people down,” she said.