BOSTON- Today, Senator Sal DiDomenico put out a call to his constituents and residents across the Commonwealth to respond to the 2020 Census. Wednesday, April 1st is Census Day, a day to raise awareness and promote participation in the 2020 Census.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we ensure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “Our district and the entire Commonwealth depend on your household to respond so our communities get the fair share of federal funding and representation that we need and deserve. Furthermore, now is the perfect time for families who are spending a lot of time at home to fill out the census online, and I encourage them to respond to their questionnaire today.”

Preparations for the 2020 Census has been a top priority for Senator DiDomenico this legislative session. He has worked closely with the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund to secure funding needed in advance of the 2020 Census and to spread awareness on the importance of a complete and accurate census count. Throughout the legislative session, he has partnered with advocacy organizations to host legislative briefings at the Massachusetts State House to secure support for census funding in the state budget and help legislators and staff understand what is at stake in the 2020 Census.

Last budget cycle, DiDomenico played a key role in securing funding in the state budget that will help to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. The Senator and his House colleague Representative Michael Moran were the lead sponsors of an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget that provided $2.5 million to establish a grant program for statewide census outreach. This grant program will help to support trusted community organizations and grassroots leaders reach historically hard-to-count communities, such as Everett and Chelsea.

“With $16 billion in federal funding to Massachusetts for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP on the line, it is critical that we do everything we can to get an accurate Census count,” DiDomenico said. “More than half of my district’s population lives in hard to count neighborhoods, which is why I know how important it is that we work with community based organizations that have trusted messengers to get out the count in 2020.”

While the COVID-19 crisis has created new obstacles to 2020 Census outreach, there are many ways that households can respond to the census without anyone having to come to their door.

Massachusetts residents can respond to the census today:

·       Online at my2020census.gov

·       Over the phone at 1-844-330-2020

·       Or via mail (census forms were mailed to households across the nation last month)

Online responses and those done over the phone are available in over 13 languages.

The Census is a national population count that occurs once every decade. The results of the Census are used to make critical decision that will impact Massachusetts over the next ten years, such as federal funding for local communities, political representation throughout the Commonwealth, and even civil rights laws.

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BOSTON – Last week, the national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry announced Senator Sal DiDomenico as a recipient of its 2020 Breakfast Hero contest. DiDomenico was one of only six recipients throughout the United States. 

DiDomenico was awarded alongside his House colleagues and Representatives Aaron Vega and Andy Vargas for their sponsorship of Breakfast After the Bell legislation that recently passed unanimously in both chambers of the Massachusetts Legislature. Once enacted, this legislation will increase access to school breakfast to over 150,000 low-income students across the Commonwealth by making it a part of the school day.

Accessing traditional cafeteria breakfast service can be challenging for many kids. Breakfast after the bell provides breakfast in a way that is more convenient and accessible to students, resulting in more kids starting the day ready to learn. 

“Thank you to No Kid Hungry for honoring me as a recipient of their 2020 Breakfast Hero contest,” said Senator DiDomenico. “We can have the best teachers, facilities, and technology in our classrooms, but if our kids are showing up for school hungry, they simply are not ready to learn. Breakfast After the Bell is smart policy that will help thousands of children across our Commonwealth access the nutrition they need to start their days. I am very grateful to the No Kid Hungry campaign and Rise and Shine Coalition for their advocacy and partnership on this critical issue for our children and families.” 

“Smart legislation is one of the most effective ways to increase participation in school breakfast programs,” said Bernadette Downey, Share Our Strength’s associate director, government relations and advocacy. “Once this legislation is enacted, thousands more kids in Massachusetts will get the nutrition they need to reach their full potential – thanks to the strong leadership of these three breakfast heroes.”

According to No Kid Hungry, “this year’s inspiring line up of champions come from all walks of life, proof that ending childhood hunger takes all of us. Breakfast powers kids to reach their full potential, but millions of kids in need start each school day on an empty stomach. No Kid Hungry’s breakfast hero award celebrates individuals who are changing that. By using their voices to build awareness, enacting smart policy, raising critical funds and implementing breakfast after the bell programs in schools, they have gone above and beyond to ensure all kids in America are Powered By Breakfast.” 

No Kid Hungry is an active member of Rise and Shine Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of over fifty hunger-relief and education organizations advocating for state legislation that increases equitable access and participation in school breakfast.

School breakfast is an energy source for kids across the nation. Research shows that hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates, and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases. No Kid Hungry and its partners focus on school breakfast as a critical way to end childhood hunger.

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BOSTON— Earlier this month, Senator Sal DiDomenico partnered with Representative Kay Khan and the Judge Baker Children’s Center to host a forum at the State House discussing the juvenile justice system and the organization’s report, "Promoting Positive Outcomes for Justice-Involved Youth: Implications for Policy, Systems and Practice."

The Judge Baker Children’s Center is a Boston-based nonprofit and affiliate of Harvard Medical School that works to promote children’s physical and emotional well-being. The forum, which was attended by a large number of legislators and staff, was organized to develop a comprehensive policy for helping children and families trapped in the juvenile justice system.

At the event, Senator DiDomenico spoke about the importance of supporting the whole child in order to put all kids on a path to success. "One of my top priorities in the State House is our youth, our young people," said DiDomenico. "We must give them every opportunity to succeed and every opportunity to have what they rightly deserve. If we leave even one child behind, then we as a society have failed. We are living in a state and a country where we should not have any young people involved in the justice system, and it is our responsibility to fix that."

The report found that children who grow up in unstable homes are more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system. To rectify this, it recommended that the state create a care system that is “youth-centered, family-focused, community-based, culturally responsive, and minimally intrusive.”

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