Good Shepherd receives $1M grant from a Boston foundation

File photo / Tim Greenway Kristen Miale is president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, which received a $1 million grant from the Ludcke Foundation.

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By Peter Van Allen

Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine’s largest hunger relief organization, said Thursday it received a $1 million grant from a Boston foundation that will bolster its hunger relief efforts.

The Ludcke Foundation focuses its support on New England nonprofits that address the basic needs of children and families.

“The Ludcke Foundation was committed to Good Shepherd Food Bank’s ambitious work prior to the pandemic, and we are proud to be continuing our support as the state of Maine rebounds from the lingering economic impact of COVID-19,” said Ruth Ellen Fitch, chair of the Ludcke Foundation. “The Foundation devotes its grants to the fields of education, medicine, and human services, and our investment in ending hunger in Maine is deeply connected to all three of our focus areas.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the leadership support of the Ludcke Foundation, which has been a supporter of our work for many years,” said Kristen Miale, president of Auburn-based Good Shepherd.

She said the leadership grant will help Good Shepherd meet its goal of ensuring every Mainer has access to enough nutritious food, when and where they need it, by 2025. Good Shepherd works with 500 community partners.

In response to demand at the height of the pandemic, which set rates of hunger “into a tailspin,” Good Shepherd launched its Campaign to End Hunger in January. The goal is to raise $100 million in cash and pledges and $150 million in donated food by the end of 2025.

So far, it has raised $138.5 million in cash and food.

At the height of the pandemic, an estimated 16% of Maine’s population experienced hunger and it is projected that number will come down to 13.5%, or 182,000 Mainers, in 2021.

In 2020, Good Shepherd distributed more than 31.1 million meals to families, children, and seniors in need throughout Maine.

Eleanor and Gipp Ludcke established the Ludcke Foundation in 1991 to fulfill their vision that every individual be given the opportunity to grow up in a safe and nurturing surrounding, have access to adequate health care and an opportunity to pursue an education.

Eleanor Ludcke was born and raised in Portland and attended Westbrook Junior College, now part of the University of New England, and graduated from Lesley College (now Lesley University). UNE has an Eleanor DeWolfe Ludcke Auditorium. Gipp Ludcke, a St. Paul, Minn., native, graduated from Harvard Business School in 1925 and was a senior partner at one of the nation's largest mutual fund companies, Putnam Group Mutual Funds. Ludcke House at Harvard is named for him.

In addition to past support for Good Shepherd, the Ludcke Foundation has made grants to Thomas College and the Knox County Health Clinic, according to its website.