Partnering with Nourishing Neighbors to Fight Hunger in Our Community

Imagine having to worry about where your next meal will come from or not knowing if you’ll have enough to feed your children dinner. Unfortunately, that is the reality many of our neighbors face every day. At Good Shepherd Food Bank, we are working with partners to implement solutions to help connect people experiencing food insecurity with the resources they need to thrive.

We are thrilled to announce we are the recipients of a $50,000 grant from Shaw’s and Star Market Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program aimed to help people in communities across Maine access federal meal programs.

With these grant funds, Good Shepherd Food Bank is working alongside Maine’s food systems community leaders to ensure a comprehensive outreach plan for the for the Pandemic EBT program. In the first round of distribution, March – June 2020, despite best efforts, the P-EBT program reached only half of all eligible children in Maine.

Good Shepherd Food Bank is working with the Maine Department of Education and Health and Human Services, Full Plates Full Potential, Preble Street, Maine Association for the Education of Young Children, Maine Community Action Partnerships, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Children’s Alliance, and No Kid Hungry to develop P-EBT resources and outreach. Together, we are making sure individuals and families are aware of the program’s existence and helping them to receive the critical benefits offered.

So far, the Food Bank and its partners have helped connect Maine families with $57 million in P-EBT benefits, ensuring access to healthy foods and reducing hunger in our state.

We truly appreciate Shaw’s and Star Market Foundation for awarding the Food Bank with this grant. To learn more about Pandemic EBT and this initiative, visit Full Plates Full Potential’s FAQ: Pandemic EBT.