For the first time in its 60-year history, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — often referred to as food stamps — ceased to distribute funds on November 1st due to the ongoing government shutdown. This lapse in funding leaves over 40 million Americans without the money they regularly receive to purchase food.

This week on Terms of Engagement, co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer at Project Bread, to discuss the impact the lapse in SNAP funding is having on individuals and families.

About this Week’s Guest

Jen Lemmerman serves as the Chief Policy Officer at Project Bread, where she leads state, local, and federal policy and advocacy efforts to tackle the root causes of hunger and ensure equitable access to nutrition for all Massachusetts residents. With a background in social work, community organizing, and policy, Jen has been instrumental in shaping initiatives that drive systemic change, such as the successful passage of universal free school meals and the development of the Make Hunger History campaign—a first-of-its-kind collective impact effort aimed at ending hunger across the state.

At Project Bread, Jen has overseen the growth of grassroots advocacy, expanded the organization’s impact at the State House, and built partnerships across sectors, including healthcare and education, to create sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

Jen’s leadership extends beyond her organization; she serves as an advisor at Boston University’s Graduate School of Social Work, where she mentors future leaders in the field. Prior to joining Project Bread, she held key roles at Community Catalyst and the National Brain Tumor Society, where she developed advocacy programs that mobilized thousands of individuals to influence federal and state policies.

Jen holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Boston College, where she specialized in macro social work—a focus that drives her passion for systemic change and large-scale impact.

About Terms of Engagement 

From rank-choice voting to reconciliation, American democracy is headline news. Let’s talk about it. 

Join Harvard Ash Center’s Archon Fung and Stephen Richer for a weekly conversation about the latest developments in American politics. Blending perspectives from both the political right and left, Terms of Engagement addresses breaking news, providing insights from research and practice to deliver a unique perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

Contact Us

Send questions, ideas, and feedback to us at [email protected]. 

About the Hosts

Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance with a focus on public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Stephen Richer is the former elected Maricopa County Recorder, responsible for voter registration, early voting administration, and public recordings in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the United States. Prior to being an elected official, Stephen worked at several public policy think tanks and as a business transactions attorney.  Stephen received his J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and his B.A. from Tulane University.

Stephen has been broadly recognized for his work in elections and American Democracy.  In 2021, the Arizona Republic named Stephen “Arizonan of the Year.”  In 2022, the Maricopa Bar Association awarded Stephen “Public Law Attorney of the Year.”  In 2023, Stephen won “Leader of the Year” from the Arizona Capitol Times.  And in 2024, Time Magazine named Stephen a “Defender of Democracy.”

About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a research center at Harvard Kennedy School, is Harvard’s hub for the study, discussion, and analysis of democracy. The Ash Center’s mission is to develop ideas and foster practices for equal and inclusive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy and self-government.

Music Credit: Straight to the Point, Music Media Group