Too many Mainers are facing hunger. State lawmakers can help.
By Heather Paquette, Good Shepherd Food Bank president
Hunger in Maine is rising, and the pressure on the emergency food network is higher today than at the peak of the pandemic.
From July 2022 to June 2023, Good Shepherd Food Bank distributed 40 million pounds of food to community food pantries across the state. By May 15, 2024, we had already reached that same number, and we are on track to surpass it again this year. However, the need continues to grow.
Unexpected cuts in federal food assistance programs reduce the amount of food we can provide to food pantries and eliminate the federal funds used to pay local farmers to grow healthy food for people experiencing hunger.
Simultaneous reductions proposed for SNAP (the federal nutritional program previously known as “food stamps”) would impact people’s ability to purchase the food they need to thrive, while also impacting grocery retailers across the state.
We are working closely with Feeding America and our congressional representatives to ensure that federal leaders understand the devastating impact of these decisions and consider reversing them.
The Local Food Purchasing Assistance program was designed to strengthen local food systems and help food banks source fresh, nutritious food from local farms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cancelled $1.25 million in funding to Maine farmers over the next three years.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program provides food banks with shelf-stable food products for distribution. Recently announced reductions to TEFAP will decrease Good Shepherd Food Bank’s distribution by approximately 250,000 pounds of food per month beginning in April and the future of the program beyond June is unknown.
These programs are more than acronyms. LFPA brings carrots, potatoes, and squash to pantries in small towns, provides revenue for local farmers, and healthy food for people experiencing poverty. TEFAP helps ensure that families stretching every dollar can still put canned beans, pasta, and rice on the table.
Maine’s congressional delegation has been a strong advocate for reversing these cuts, and their staff is in regular communication with organizations like Good Shepherd Food Bank to ensure the voices of impacted Mainers are heard. All four of Maine’s members of Congress also voted against the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, standing united against harmful cuts that would hurt SNAP recipients and put additional strain on local food pantries. Their leadership is crucial, and we are deeply grateful for their support.
At the state level, there is a critical opportunity to support LD 415, which would increase the state’s investment in the Mainers Feeding Mainers program. This program connects local farms with food pantries across the state, ensuring a reliable supply of fresh produce for hundreds of pantries, while providing a stable revenue stream for over 90 Maine farms. Over the past 15 years, the program has distributed more than 28 million pounds of Maine-grown food to people facing hunger.
LD 415 was passed unanimously by the Committee on Agriculture, the Maine House of Representatives, and the state Senate. We remain deeply grateful for the state’s current investment of $1 million per year — and we believe increasing support for Mainers Feeding Mainers is a smart, high-impact way to meet multiple goals.
The bill is now on the “special appropriations table” where it is awaiting the decision to be funded or not. With multiple urgent needs competing for limited funds, this is a challenging environment in which to advocate for additional state resources.
We need your help. Please thank your state legislators for passing LD 415 and urge them to include an additional $1 million in the supplemental state budget for Mainers Feeding Mainers, bringing the state’s investment in the program to $2 million per year. Thank you to Rep. Anne Graham for being the sponsor and champion of the bill.
Good Shepherd Food Bank cannot close the unexpected funding gap created by federal cuts. Sustaining this work will require increased support from the food security ecosystem. Filling the gap for the nearly 180,000 people facing hunger in Maine will require the help of farmers, food pantries, donors, policymakers — and you.
Tens of thousands of Mainers stand with us already, including more than 20,000 donors, a volunteer force providing 17,000 hours of their time every year, and a network of farms and network partners that includes food pantries, meal sites and health centers. And now, more than ever, we need more support.
Contact your members of Congress and thank them for championing solutions to federal funding cuts and for voting against the recent budget proposal. Call your state legislators and urge them to pass a state budget that includes funding for LD 415.
Support your local food pantries. They are the volunteers who are on the front lines of hunger in Maine.
Finally, show compassion for those facing hunger. Their situation is more precarious than ever, and these cuts will undoubtedly make it worse.
Our bold vision is to achieve food security for everyone in Maine. Together, we can make sure no one in Maine has to make impossible choices and go without food. Let’s stand with our farmers, support our food pantries, and care for every person in Maine facing hunger.