An Act relative to establishing a food justice frontline

This bill creates a new program called the Food Justice Frontline to provide paid work opportunities in food production, distribution, preparation, and delivery for residents living in food-insecure areas of Massachusetts. The program would offer grants of up to $500,000 to nonprofit organizations that operate in communities facing high levels of environmental pollution and low income, requiring those organizations to hire local residents at a wage calculated based on state per capita income. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources would manage the program, set application rules, and ensure that grant funds are used exclusively to create these jobs within the targeted overburdened communities.