$1.25 Million Allocated for Maine Food Pantries and Anti-Hunger Programs

Governor Janet Mills has announced that $1.25 million will be advanced to the Good Shepherd Food Bank and other anti-hunger programs in Maine, as the Federal shutdown continues.

This $1.25 million consists of $1 million from the Governor’s contingency account, plus $250,000 from the John T. Gorman Foundation. Using existing state relationships with Good Shepherd Food Bank and the state’s network of Area Agencies on Aging, these funds will be distributed to support the state’s network of food pantries and other anti-hunger programs and organizations across the state.

Details on the funding include:

• $650,000 in Governor’s contingency funds and funds from the John. T. Gorman Foundation for the Good Shepherd Food Bank, to support food pantries and anti-hunger initiatives throughout Maine.
• $600,000 in Governor’s contingency funding for AgeWise Maine, the state association for Maine’s Area Agencies on Aging, for the agencies to increase the availability of meals in community dining locations, grab-and-go meals, and extra meals through Meals on Wheels to seniors and people with disabilities.
• In addition, the Governor has directed the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to commit an additional $10,000 to enhance the Hunters for the Hungry program, which pays the processing cost to qualified game processing businesses for donated bear, deer and moose.

From Good Shepherd Food Bank President Heather Paquette:

We are grateful to the Governor and the John T. Gorman Foundation for recognizing the critical situation so many of our neighbors across Maine are facing with the potential disruption of SNAP benefits. These funds will helps us provide food and other resources for the nearly 600 food pantries and other organizations that we work with. Our partners on the front lines are facing an overwhelming need for food right now and these funds will go to work immediately to help ensure everyone in Maine has access to the good they need to feed themselves and their families during this uncertain time.

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