King presses USDA to reinstate shipments to Maine food banks

File Photo / Courtesy Good Shepherd Food Bank At Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine’s largest hunger-relief organization, hundreds of thousands of pounds of food assistance is at risk due to federal funding cuts.

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By Laurie Schreiber

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancellation of an extension that would have provided $1.25 million in funding to Maine over the next three years, announced earlier this month, has prompted U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, to press the department to reinstate previously approved shipments of food to Maine food banks.

King joined congressional colleagues in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, asking for the reasoning behind the cancellation of congressionally approved funding through the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

More than 250 organizations across Maine participate in the program to combat food insecurity, according to a news release.

The federal program provides lower-income Americans with emergency food assistance.

USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA foods and administrative funds to states to operate the program. In fiscal year 2024, the program received $461.5 million to purchase USDA foods and $80 million for administrative costs.

“A cancellation of these funds could result in $500 million in lost food provisions to feed millions of Americans at a time when the need for food shelves is extremely high due to costly groceries and an uncertain economy,” the letter says.

“In addition, this program consists of purchases of U.S. commodities at a time when America’s growers and producers are struggling due to tariffs, proposed tariffs, animal disease and many other challenges.”

Earlier this month, the Good Shepherd Food Bank, headquartered in Auburn, said the cancellation posed serious challenges for people in Maine facing food insecurity.

The USDA has also announced reductions in federal food assistance for its Local Food Purchasing Assistance program, which is designed to strengthen local food systems and help food banks source fresh, nutritious food from local producers.