Latest news with #MainersFeedingMainers
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Good Shepherd Food Bank says federal cuts increase need for more state investment
One in eight Mainers face hunger, according to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. (Photo via Good Shepherd Food Bank) Earlier this month, the leader of Maine's largest hunger relief organization told the Legislature her organization has had to provide 'more food for more people with fewer resources.' That challenge could be even harder now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making cuts to food assistance programs including some used by Good Shepherd Food Bank to help the one in eight Mainers who face hunger. Those numbers mark an increase from last year, said Good Shepherd Food Bank President Heather Paquette in her testimony before the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee on March 6. She was there supporting LD 415, a bill to provide an additional $1 million per year to the statewide hunger relief program administered by the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled the Local Food Purchasing Assistance program that would have provided $1.25 million to Maine over the next three years for food banks to source fresh food from local producers. That equates to 500,000 to 600,000 pounds of food Good Shepherd would have distributed to families, according to a news release from the food bank last week. 'Now that we are trying to understand the full scope of the impact of the federal food and funding freeze, it just makes state investment such as LD 415 that much more important,' said Amy Sassi, vice president of government affairs for Good Shepherd. If passed, LD 415 would double the state's investment in Good Shepherd's Mainers Feeding Mainers program, which sources produce from local farms for food pantries across the state. The agriculture committee is slated to discuss the bill Tuesday and decide whether this funding should be prioritized by the Legislature. 'Now, it's even more important that we help the Mainers and keep our farms alive,' said Rep. Anne Graham (D-Yarmouth), the bill's sponsor. Pointing to the projected $450 million deficit for the next two-year budget cycle, Graham acknowledged it's hard to ask the state to spend more money. But as someone who regularly volunteers at her local food pantry, she said she anticipates an increasing number of people will need help putting food on their tables. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid increased need, federal uncertainty, bill would double support for hunger relief program
Snell Family Farm's stand at the Portland Farmer's Market. (AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star) From her time volunteering at a food pantry, Rep. Anne Graham (D-North Yarmouth) said she will always remember a mother who showed up with tears in her eyes because she was ashamed she couldn't afford to put food on her family's table. To support that mother and others who are food insecure, as well as Maine farmers, Graham introduced LD 415, which would provide an additional $1 million per year to the statewide hunger relief program administered by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Citing an increase in need, as well as the uncertainty facing federal assistance programs that support low-income communities, Graham argued that the investment could have multiple benefits at this critical juncture. Currently, the program provides $1 million to the Mainers Feeding Mainers program run by the Good Shepherd Food Bank, which sources produce from local farms for food pantries across the state. Graham's bill would double the current investment, she told the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee during a public hearing Thursday. One in eight people in Maine face hunger, including one in five children, said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette in her testimony in support of the bill. This has increased since last year, she said, leaving the food bank with the challenge of 'providing more food for more people with fewer resources.' Mainers Feeding Mainers works with more than 90 farms throughout the state and has invested more than $2.7 million into the local agriculture economy, according to the Good Shepherd website. Paquette said money from the program is used to buy produce, while outside donations pay for seafood, meat, grain, dairy products and eggs. Not only could this money further promote local agriculture, Graham argued it could also make the state more resilient to unpredictable shifts in weather and international trade that disrupt food supply chains. 'Our state is facing an extremely unpredictable future,' Graham said. Additionally, it could prepare the state for any cuts or changes the federal government could implement to benefits and assistance programs. As the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress look to slash federal spending, some are concerned there could be cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Though Republicans have said they don't intend to reduce food stamp benefits, the House budget resolution requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, to reduce its budget by $230 billion from the various programs in its jurisdiction. More than 183,000 Mainers received SNAP benefits in December, according to the most recent data from the state Department of Health and Human Services. The agriculture committee also held a hearing for a similar bill, LD 468, which would provide an additional $1.2 million per year to the Fund to Address Food Insecurity and Provide Nutritional Incentives, which supports programs that allow low-income Mainers to use their benefits to buy produce from farmers. Multiple agricultural organizations and farmers testified in support of the bills, noting that the additional funding could help bolster Maine farms while aiding in the state's goal to end hunger by 2030. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
