Good Shepherd Food-Bank gives MORE than food.
Freezers will help communities in a big way!
June 13, 2007 - In observance of National Hunger Awareness Day, and for the first time in 25 years, Good Shepherd Food-Bank (GSFB) recently gave away 48 brand new freezers to member food pantries throughout the State of Maine, at events in Auburn and in Brewer. Pictured are: volunteer helps unload freezers (front). Inside truck: Rick Small, Executive Director, GSFB (left) and Scott Shaw, Maine Sea Coast Mission.
In 2006, Good Shepherd Food-Bank conducted a statewide "needs-survey" among food pantries. The most pressing need identified was inadequate freezer space with 60% of pantries reporting having no freezers whatsoever. That meant that these food pantries distributed little or NO protein-rich foods. Available, frozen food from the food bank was repeatedly turned down for lack of ability to safely store it.
Good Shepherd Food-Bank applied for a grant to strengthen and help the food pantries by leveraging funding on their behalf and was awarded a $20,000 grant from Wal-Mart's Agency Sustainability Program. This enabled Good Shepherd to purchase a total of 48 freezers from Sam's Club The grant also allowed provision for electrical upgrades to agencies who needed this.
The freezers have the capacity to hold 600 pounds of food and the pantries were given 2 free cases of frozen, boneless, haddock as a bonus from the Food-Bank. The food bank currently has an ample supply of boneless chicken and haddock at a shared-maintenance fee of only 16 cents per pound. Having these freezers will mean that more food pantries in Maine will help get good, nutritious meats and proteins onto the tables of struggling families in their communities.
"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to do this on behalf of our agencies, said Jason Hall, Good Shepherd Food-Bank's (GSFB) Administrator of Agency Relations. Our agency pantries are the hands and feet of GSFB's mission to help people who suffer needless hunger. We are grateful for Wal-Mart's commitment to communities, which has made this grant possible. This will result in better nutrition for countless families throughout the State of Maine for years to come."
Eighty one food pantries applied for the freezers and a committee based the recipients on number of people or families served, current cooling and freezing capabilities, and locations throughout Maine. "There is opportunity to increase our scope of help to food pantries," stated Hall, "But this gave us a strong start."
Good Shepherd Food-Bank is Maine's largest hunger relief organization, feeding approximately 70,000 people each month through it's network of food pantries, soup kitchens, on site feeding programs, group and foster homes, and homeless and abuse shelters. Last year, more than 9.4 million pounds of food was distributed throughout the state.
Executive Director, Rick Small, stated; "The timing of this is perfect to coincide with the increase needs we see all summer. Maine has nearly 69,000 school kids who qualify to receive free or subsidized breakfast and lunch. Summer brings more families to food pantries and more kids in soup kitchen lines. This will definitely help many, many families during these challenging times."
Freezer Awardees listed alphabetically:
- Acton-Milton Mills Baptist Church Food Pantry, Milton Mills
- Albion Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Albion
- Auburn Seventh Day Adventist Food Pantry, Auburn
- Bread of Life Food Pantry, Swan's Island
- Calvary Pentecostal Food Pantry, Madison
- Caribou United Baptist Food Pantry, Caribou
- Chester Baptist Food Pantry, Chester
- Crossroads Food Pantry, Morrill
- Crossroads Ministries Inc. Food Pantry, Old Town
- Emmaus Food Pantry, Ellsworth
- Family Christian Fellowship/Stauron Ministries Food Pantry, Topsham
- First Free Baptist/Dexter Food Closet, Dexter
- First Baptist Food Pantry, Portland
- GIFT, Presque Isle
- Grampa Food Pantry, Mexico
- Greene Baptist Food Pantry, Greene
- Hollis Center Baptist Food Pantry, Hollis Center
- Island Food Pantry, Stoneham
- Jackson Church Food Pantry, Jackson
- Labor of Love Food Pantry, Eastport
- Lifeline Ministries, Winter Harbor
- Little River Baptist Church Food Pantry, Belfast
- ME Seacoast Missionary/Weald Bethel Food Pantry, Cherryfield
- Nature's Bounty Food Pantry, Smyrna Mills
- North Monmouth Food Pantry, No. Monmouth
- Ofelia's Food Cupboard, Glenburn
- Phillips Shared Ministry Food Pantry, Phillips
- Praise Assembly Food Pantry, Rumford
- Preble Street Food Pantry, Portland
- St. Anne's Food Pantry, Pleasant Point Perry
- St. Anne's Food Pantry, Princeton/Indian Township
- St. Denis & Full Gospel Food Pantry, Whitefield
- St. Joseph's Food Pantry, Bridgton
- St. Mary's Community Food Pantry, Lincoln
- Salvation Army Food Pantry, Portland
- Salvation Army Food Pantry , Sanford
- Searsport Congregational/Methodist Food Cupboard, Searsport
- Stratton-Eustis Food Pantry, Stratton
- The Community Food Pantry, Inc. Berwick/Somersworth
- Topsfield Congregational Food Pantry, Topsfield
- Tri-Town Baptist Food Pantry, East Millinocket
- United Methodist Economic Ministry, Salem
- Vassalboro Food Station, Vassalboro
- Washington Food Bank, Washington ME
- What's For Suppa Food Pantry, Mariahville
- Woodstock Food Pantry, Bryant Pond
- York Community Food Pantry, York
- York County Shelters Food Pantry, Alfred
