State battles food insecurity; luxury hotel lets workers go

BOSTON — Massachusetts is ramping up efforts to help more families put food on the table at a time when many have lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the state opened up applications for a new $36 million food security grant program designed to help individuals and families get access to fresh, local food, Gov. Charlie Baker said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the urgent needs and food supply chain issues for communities across Massachusetts,” Baker said Thursday after touring the Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston.

The grant program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fisherman and other local food producers are better connected to a more resilient local food system, Baker said.

Greater Boston Food Bank President Catherine D’Amato said the group used to spend about $60,000 on food, but the pandemic has pushed more people to seek help.

“We’re now spending up to $3 million a month on food,” she said during a press conference with Baker, citing both the surge in demand and a hike in food prices.

Those eligible for the grants including groups that are part of the state’s local food system including production, processing and distribution, and emergency food distribution networks.

Community and food organizations, school meal programs, urban farms, community gardens, and organizations that provide business planning and technical assistance are also eligible.

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HOTEL LAYOFFS

One of Boston’s most luxurious hotels has let go about half its staff even though hotels in Massachusetts are now allowed to reopen under phase two of Gov. Charlie Baker’s coronavirus economic recovery plan.

The nearly 200 workers laid off by the Four Seasons were told they would be able to reapply for their jobs, but some tell The Boston Globe they received less than half the severance they were entitled to.

The hotel, located on Boylston Street and overlooking the Public Garden, furloughed employees after closing March 24, then conducted the layoffs last month. It is currently taking reservations starting June 23.

The state’s hotels were allowed to reopen to guests on Monday, but still aren’t allowed to schedule any events, functions or meetings.

“The impact of COVID-19 on the travel and hospitality industry has been devastating and Four Seasons Hotel Boston is not immune,” hotel management said in a statement. “The extreme loss of revenues has forced us to make some difficult decisions to reduce costs while managing the short- and long-term business realities. This includes permanent layoffs.”

Unite Here Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo is concerned that the layoffs are the beginning of widespread terminations in the lodging industry in an attempt to permanently eliminate jobs or start over with a lower-paid workforce. The hospitality workers’ union is assisting the Four Seasons staff, which is not unionized.

Mass layoffs in the industry would disproportionately affect people of colour, he said.

With the help of the union, 46 former Four Seasons employees sent a letter to hotel management rejecting the “disrespectful, even insulting” severance offer.

The Associated Press