GBFB, Citizens and BMC Team Up to ‘Stop Hunger Now’

Proceeds from a new Massachusetts charity license plate now available at www.stophungerma.org will benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Boston Medical Center. The plate, sponsored in part by Citizens, features an image of a stop light – formed from healthy fruits and vegetables – which is designed to highlight the hundreds of children and families who go hungry every day. 

Charity license plates can be pre-ordered online at www.stophungerma.org.

“The “Stop Hunger Now” license plate will provide essential support to BMC’s food and nutrition programs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is causing even more families to struggle with hunger,” said Kate Walsh, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System. “BMC started the first hospital-based food pantry in the nation two decades ago because many of our patients needed food as much as medical care to stay healthy. Thanks to our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, we can focus on ways to improve health and eliminate hunger.”

Revenue from the plate will be split evenly between the two organizations. A charity plate costs an additional $40 above the standard registration fee. Of the initial $40 fee, $28 will be retained by the charities, with the remaining $12 going to the RMV. When the plate is renewed, the entire plate fee goes to the charities.

“The launch of the ‘Stop Hunger Now’ license plate is extremely timely,” said GBFB President Catherine D’Amato. “Because of the economic impact of COVID-19, the need has never been greater. With winter approaching and the crisis lingering on, we hope that people will consider purchasing a plate to not only support our collective efforts, but as a way to remind others that hunger is an ongoing, urgent problem in our state.”

Though its Citizens Helping Citizens community engagement platform, Citizens continues its support to end hunger and drive awareness of the urgent need for food security for all our neighbors.

“Working with the team at Boston Medical Center and The Greater Boston Food Bank was a natural progression of the collaborative work to fight hunger that we embarked on together many years ago,” said Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens in Massachusetts, “By association, this stop light image will remind drivers of families who go hungry every day, and hopefully encourage them to act, and give, and join us in the fight, so that one day we beat this.”