Dear Friends,

The holiday season is all around us and winter is here. With it comes the holidays, school vacations, and for many—increased anxiety about putting food on the table.

For families that struggle year-round, the absence of plenty at their holiday table is especially painful.

Imagine facing Thanksgiving without the money to buy a turkey to roast, potatoes to mash, or greens to stew.

For families that receive SNAP benefits, this winter might be harder than most.

November 1 brought devastating cuts to the SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps.) The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that these cuts will mean a loss of 16 meals a month for a family of three—almost 200 meals lost over the course of a year.

These cuts will affect 889,000 Massachusetts residents—about 13% of our state’s population. Of those affected, 334,000 are children and 283,000 are elderly or disabled.

The November 1 cuts are, however, just the tip of the iceberg. In September, The House of Representatives voted to cut an additional $39 billion from the SNAP program over the next 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this legislation, if passed, will take benefits away from 2.8 million people now receiving assistance.

Now, more than ever, hungry families need your support.

Food For Free rescues fresh food year round, making it available to the food programs that low-income families rely on when their SNAP benefits aren’t enough.

With your help, families can eat well, all winter long.

Your support this winter will allow us to:

■ Reach 86 local food programs with fresh, healthy produce this winter, and throughout the coming year
■ Distribute more than 1 million pounds of food in 2014
■ Bring food programs another 800,000 pounds of food through the Transportation Partnership
■ Expand our partnership with Boston Area Gleaners, to reduce the amount of local crops that wither in the fields
■ In partnership with Boston Organics, expand Home Delivery by adding a second delivery each month for each of our 85 clients

But we can only do this with your support.

Your gift of $100 will provide 250 pounds of food—that’s 200 meals, or about the number of meals that the November 1 SNAP cuts have taken from a family of three. Please, help a family put food on the table this holiday season by making a donation today.

Please make a contribution today.

Thank you for your continued support.