Catherine D’Amato is president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank.

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently threatened to withhold funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to states — including Massachusetts — that are not providing the federal government with data about the food program’s recipients. Meanwhile, new SNAP eligibility and work requirements, passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, have gone into effect. These wide-ranging new rules require even more Americans who were previously exempt, like veterans, teens, and older Americans, to work or volunteer 20 hours per week to qualify for food assistance as well as jump through bureaucratic hoops to keep their benefits.

For The Greater Boston Food Bank and our anti-hunger partners across the state, this one-two punch presents serious new challenges in our mission to end hunger. Federal food assistance programs are under unrelenting attack. And hunger is about to get worse.

For years, food insecurity has been on the rise in Massachusetts. Even before the federal government shut down and new requirements took effect, 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents struggled to afford enough food.

These are not abstract numbers. These are our neighbors, parents, caregivers, veterans, seniors, children, and full-time workers. Too many are forced to choose between buying food and paying rent, heating bills, or medical expenses.

Those experiencing food insecurity are often hiding in plain sight. Among food insecure individuals that do not report being disabled or retired, 82 percent are working households — meaning that one or more people in the house are working, according to the food bank’s most recent Food Access Study.

SNAP is the nation’s strongest defense against hunger, providing assistance in fiscal 2024 for nearly 42 million people on average per month. For every meal provided by the emergency food system in America, SNAP provides nine more meals. It is simply impossible — for both financial and logistical reasons — for the emergency food network to absorb major cuts to this program. Yet that is exactly what we are facing.

In Massachusetts, the new federal eligibility and work requirements will cause up to 160,000 veterans, caregivers, former foster youth, older adults, and legal immigrants to lose SNAP benefits or see them significantly reduced over the next year. That represents an additional 15 percent of our neighbors across the Commonwealth losing their benefits.

These changes will roll out gradually as recipients complete their annual recertification, meaning the impact will build month after month — driving more and more people to local food pantries for help. And the new SNAP restrictions won’t happen in isolation; people will also feel pinched as Affordable Care Act health care subsidies expire and new Medicaid cuts take effect.

Addressing this urgent societal issue and the immense gaps that will be left in the wake of the SNAP cuts requires action — both collective and individual.

The Healey administration has continued the state’s strong commitment to addressing food insecurity. Its anti-hunger task force will soon offer recommendations on how to mitigate the impacts of SNAP cuts. It is critical that the Commonwealth increases its investment in the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program, which allows the state’s food banks to purchase and supply healthy food to local pantries.

Individually, every one of us can help by volunteering, advocating for policies that strengthen the state’s social security network, or donating to hunger-relief organizations. Join the mission to end hunger.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed, officials said.

“Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said in a statement. “This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities.”

While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, the United States has seen the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade – nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, which included three confirmed deaths from measles, Goldstein said.

“Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk,” Goldstein said. “Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever – they are safe, effective, and lifesaving.”

Officials said the exposures may have occurred at Logan Airport Terminal B on Dec. 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; at the DoubleTree hotel in Westborough from 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 12; and at Logan Airport Terminal C from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 12.

“Those who could have been exposed and begin to develop symptoms of measles should call their healthcare provider before visiting an office, clinic, or emergency department,” public health officials said in the statement. “Visiting a healthcare facility may put others at risk and should be avoided if possible.”

Those who have had measles in the past or have received two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine are unlikely to develop measles even if they were exposed, officials said.

Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu also encouraged people to get vaccinated for measles.

“With multiple measles outbreaks across the country and increased travel around the holidays, now is an important time to ensure that you and your family are protected,” she said.

Ojikutu said two doses of MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing measles and provide protection against mumps and rubella. Children should receive the vaccine at 12-15 months of age and again before kindergarten, she said.

Children who are at least 6 months old and traveling internationally or to areas of the US with active outbreaks should receive an early dose of vaccine before traveling, Ojikutu said.

“It is never too late for children or adults to get the measles vaccine even if they are past the recommended age,” Ojikutu said.

Early symptoms of measles occur one to three weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold, with symptoms fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. A rash occurs on the skin two to four days after the initial symptoms develop and usually appears first on the head, officials said.

People with measles may be contagious up to four days before the rash appears and for four days after the rash starts, officials said.

State public health officials are urging anyone who has not been vaccinated or doesn’t know their measles immunization status to contact their healthcare provider to get vaccinated with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

“Measles vaccine given within 72 hours of exposure may prevent measles disease,” officials said in the statement. “Vaccination beyond this window will provide protection from subsequent exposures.”

Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.