Maine’s Credit Unions Announce Major Multi-Year Commitment to End Childhood Hunger in Maine

On Monday, September 9, at the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger will make a significant donation to announce their commitment to the Good Shepherd Food Bank’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Maine.  In addition, The Food Bank will be conducting the first BackPack packing session for the 2013-2014 school year. Volunteers from Maine’s Credit Unions will be onsite to assemble the BackPacks.

John Murphy, President of the Maine Credit Union League, said that the donation will be able to make a significant impact in ending childhood hunger in Maine through the support of the Good Shepherd’s BackPack and School Pantry programs, as well as other childhood hunger initiatives.  “Maine’s Credit Unions are dedicated to ‘people helping people’ of all ages.  The problem of childhood hunger in our state is extreme. With one in four Maine children being food insecure, Maine ranks first in New England in terms of child food insecurity,” he explained.  “It is our hope that through this joint effort with the Good Shepherd Food-Bank, we will make great strides towards ending childhood hunger in our state, both through providing much needed funds, and raising wide-reaching awareness.”

The Good Shepherd Food Bank’s BackPack Program provides children who are suffering the effects of chronic hunger with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to eat during weekends and school vacations when those crucial school meals are unavailable. This school year, the Good Shepherd Food Bank will be operating BackPack in 20 schools located in 5 counties, serving 800 kids per week.

The School Pantry program gives school staff the opportunity to provide children in danger of hunger with nutritious food to take home to their families. By the end of this school year, the Good Shepherd expects to have 16 School Pantries across the state, with the goal to provide 90,000 meals through the School Pantry program this year.

Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised $4.8 million to help end hunger in Maine.

About the Maine Credit Union League

Formed in 1938, the Maine Credit Union League is the State Trade Association for Maine’s 61 credit unions and 630,000 members, providing a variety of services and products to assist credit unions in meeting the needs of their membership.  For more information, visit www.mainecul.org.