Hannaford gives $225K to fight Maine's worsening hunger and homelessness
Courtesy / Good Shepherd Food Bank
Good Shepherd Food Bank is one of numerous hunger relief and homeless outreach organizations to receive a total of $750,000 in funding from Hannaford Supermarkets.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Hannaford Supermarkets is donating $750,000 to organizations fighting hunger and homelessness throughout the Northeast as they work to support some of the most at-risk populations during the pandemic.
Maine organizations will receive $225,000 of that funding, according to a news release Tuesday. The donations will help residents remain fed and healthy, and support efforts to decrease spread of the virus.
The public health crisis and its economic impact are creating new demands for food assistance, disrupting agencies that provide emergency meals, Hannaford said. In addition, many individuals who rely on food pantries and homeless shelters face additional risks of contracting and spreading the coronavirus.
In Maine, where the Scarborough-based company operates over 60 stores, Hannaford is contributing to three nonprofit organizations.
Good Shepherd Food Bank: $160,000 (including $100,000 previously donated)
As the largest hunger-relief organization in the state, Good Shepherd Food Bank helps feed Mainers facing hunger by distributing nutritious food to more than 450 partner agencies across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, and senior programs.
“The COVID-19 situation is creating a ‘perfect storm’ for the charitable food network in Maine and the people we serve. We’re seeing surges in demand, declines in food donations and volunteers, and disruptions to normal operating procedures,” Good Shepherd Food Bank President Kristen Miale, a Mainebiz 2020 Business Leader of the Year, said in the release.
“Our partner food pantries and programs throughout the state are carrying the largest burden, with more than one-third of our partners seeing a 50% increase in the number of Mainers seeking help. This generous support from Hannaford will help us respond to the demand by purchasing food that will be distributed to community partners at no cost over the coming weeks.”
Preble Street: $40,000
Preble Street provides services for people experiencing temporary and long-term homelessness, including housing, advocacy, teen services, a soup kitchen and a food pantry. On any given day, the organization serves meals to 300 people at the largest soup kitchen in Portland.
“We're so encouraged by how the community is pitching in,” Preble Street Chief Development Officer Elena Schmidt said in the release. “Between our three soup kitchens and food pantry, we distributed 68,000 meals in March to teens and adults and families, as well as people who had found themselves without a job or those who had never had to ask for a free meal in their lives. We couldn't do it without friends like Hannaford and their 'we're-all-in-this-together' generosity.”
Bangor Area Homeless Shelter: $25,000
The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter is the largest homeless shelter in the city. Open 24 hours a day, the organization provides many services to homeless individuals, including a soup kitchen, emergency food pantry, shelter and apartments for previously chronically homeless adults. Medical and mental health services are also available.
“Every day, we are learning more about the impact of this virus and responding together as a community to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hannaford President Mike Vail said in the release. “Our company and our associates are working hard in our grocery stores to meet the most basic needs of our community during this difficult time: food and medicine. We hope that this donation also will help the most vulnerable of our neighbors meet their fundamental needs of staying fed and healthy, during this difficult time.”
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Thank you, Hannaford for feeding our communities!
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