NORTH GRAFTON, Mass. – Rep. Jim McGovern reaffirmed his support for anti-hunger initiatives Thursday during a visit to the Community Harvest Project in North Grafton.

The Harvest Project is a nonprofit farm which engages and educates volunteers to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for hunger relief.

McGovern addressed the farm bill, as well as state lawmakers moving to fund free universal school meals. He said while steps are being made to help address hunger, congressional Republicans are pushing to cut benefits already there.

"I tell people all the time hunger is a political condition,” McGovern said. “We have the resources, we have the knowledge, we have the food, we have everything we need to solve it but we've lacked the political will. We're building that political will."

"The most recent statistics are saying that one in three people in Massachusetts is experiencing hunger,” said Tori Buerschaper, executive director of Community Harvest Project. “That is higher than pre-pandemic levels. This is a crisis. We need to ensure we are supporting people, providing programs that allow people to make a living wage that allow them to have everything they need so they are not struggling to buy food."

Community Harvest Project says they rely heavily on volunteers and are always looking for more people to help out.