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Heather Paquette
6 hours ago
Good Shepherd says federal food assistance reductions pose serious challenges
Photo / Courtesy Good Shepherd Food Bank
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food assistance is at risk due to federal funding cuts, said Good Shepherd Food Bank.
The cancellation of $1.25 million in food assistance funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will pose serious challenges for people in Maine facing food insecurity, the Good Shepherd Food Bank said this week.
The food bank, headquartered in Auburn, said it is preparing for recently announced reductions in federal food assistance, including the cancellation of a key local food purchasing initiative and anticipated cuts to staple food deliveries.
“These changes pose real challenges to the charitable food network’s ability to provide nutritious food for people across Maine,” said Heather Paquette, Good Shepherd’s president.
Good Shepherd is Maine’s largest hunger-relief organization, working with 600 agency partners to source and distribute nutritious, culturally relevant food across the state.
Last year, the food bank distributed a record 39 million meals, invested almost $1 million in grants to Maine’s hunger-relief network and sourced 3.6 million pounds of locally produced food.
The USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance program and Emergency Food Assistance Program are administered in Maine by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
The Local Food Purchasing Assistance program was designed to strengthen local food systems and help food banks source fresh, nutritious food from local producers.
The food bank works with DACF to source and distribute the resources and said it will advocate for solutions to minimize the effect of federal funding changes.
800,000 pounds
A reduction of both programs would result in the loss of up to 800,000 pounds or more of food, Good Shepherd said.
The USDA cancelled an extension that would have provided $1.25 million in funding to Maine over the next three years, representing a projected loss of 500,000 to 600,000 pounds of fresh, local produce Good Shepherd would have distributed, through its partners, to families facing food insecurity.
There are also potential reductions to the Emergency Food Assistance Program, a long-standing federal program that provides food banks with staple food products for distribution to individuals and families in need.
Disruptions to the availability of those resources will reduce Good Shepherd’s distribution by approximately 250,000 pounds of food per month effective in April.
Maine investment
Before the USDA announcement, the state legislature was already considering LD415, a bill to expand its investment in Mainers Feeding Mainers, a partnership between the state and Good Shepherd Food Bank that sources fresh produce and other nutritious foods from 90 local farms to supply food pantries and meal sites across Maine.
“These newest cuts to federal funding highlight the urgent need for Maine to invest in sustainable, local food solutions that support both farmers and households experiencing food insecurity,” said Good Shepherd.
Good Shepherd said it is engaging with Maine’s Congressional delegation, Feeding America, DACF and many of its local partners to address the challenges.
Community involvement is critical in the face of federal funding cuts, the food bank added.
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