The Ludcke Foundation Invests $1M Grant in Maine’s Campaign to End Hunger

AUBURN, Maine – Good Shepherd Food Bank is pleased to announce a $1 million grant from the Ludcke Foundation, a Boston-based organization that focuses on supporting New England non-profits that address the basic needs of children and families. The leadership grant is helping the Food Bank meet its goal of ensuring every Mainer has access to enough nutritious food, when and where they need it, by 2025.

Good Shepherd Food Bank announced the Campaign to End Hunger in January 2021 and endeavors to raise $100 million in cash and pledges and $150 million in donated food before the end of 2025, creating an overall fundraising goal of $250 million. The organization has raised $138.5 million in food and funds to date.

“We are incredibly grateful for the leadership support of the Ludcke Foundation, which has been a supporter of our work for many years,” said Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank. “The Ludcke Foundation trustees have demonstrated the Foundation’s trust and confidence in the Food Bank and our network of more than 500 community partners by making a grant that is unrestricted in its use, providing us with flexibility as we put the funds to work fighting hunger here in Maine.”

The Campaign to End Hunger comes amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which set rates of hunger into a tailspin. During the height of the pandemic it was estimated that 16 percent of Maine’s population was experiencing hunger and it is projected that number will come down to 13.5 percent, or 182,000 Mainers, in 2021. Good Shepherd Food Bank wants to ensure each and every Mainer experiencing hunger has access to enough nutritious food.

“The Ludcke Foundation was committed to Good Shepherd Food Bank’s ambitious work prior to the pandemic, and we are proud to be continuing our support as the state of Maine rebounds from the lingering economic impact of COVID-19,” said Ruth Ellen Fitch, chair of the Ludcke Foundation. “The Foundation devotes its grants to the fields of education, medicine, and human services and our investment in ending hunger in Maine is deeply connected to all three of our focus areas.”

Visit www.feedingmaine.org/campaign for more information about the Campaign to End Hunger in Maine.