Letter From the Food Bank
Food insecurity rates are the highest they’ve been in almost 10 years, and that means a growing number of Mainers are facing hunger. Recent changes to programs like SNAP and Medicaid have created another layer of hardship, putting an extra squeeze on many household budgets.
This is especially true for older Mainers. Every day can bring impossible decisions. Should they purchase the medications they need to stay well or buy groceries for the week? Should they keep their heat on during cold nights or stock their pantry? No one — especially older Mainers who have given so much to our communities over the years — should have to face such choices.
At Good Shepherd Food Bank, we’re committed to ensuring everyone has reliable access to nutritious food, and we need your support now more than ever. As you read through this issue of Helping Hands, which focuses on how we’re supporting older Mainers, I ask you to think about the older adults in your own life. Then consider making a generous gift today to help provide nourishing meals that will fuel their bodies and warm their hearts.
Remember, every $1 you donate can help provide two nutritious meals for children, families, and older Mainers. Your compassion and generosity make a real difference in the lives of people in our communities. Thank you.
With deepest gratitude,
Heather Paquette
President
Thanks to supporters like you, David can experience
the comfort of a warm meal all year round.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
David is no stranger to hard work. As the head of maintenance for a local fast-food restaurant, he takes pride in his job and works tirelessly to provide for himself. Living with diabetes and heart problems, David is committed to following his doctor’s advice and maintaining a healthy diet.
But when winter arrives and business slows, his hours are cut back. With a smaller paycheck, David, like so many people facing food insecurity, finds it hard to access the food he needs every day.
“I want to listen to my doctors and eat what I should, but it’s so expensive,” David says.
That’s where the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry, a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank, comes in to help. Thanks to the kindness of caring donors like you, David doesn’t have to make the impossible choice between paying his bills and putting food on the table.
“I try to only take what I really need to make sure others have enough too,” David says. And with your support, we’re able to help ensure all Mainers have the comfort of a warm meal all year round.
“Thank you, big time. Thank you,” David says to friends like you who make this possible.
Nutritious food helps neighbors like David stay healthy. Thank you for supporting fellow Mainers!
Kevin combines service and sense of community through his volunteer work.
A Community of Care
For Kevin, neighbors helping neighbors isn’t just a saying — it’s his way of life. After volunteering at the South Portland Food Cupboard, a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank, for 15 years and serving on their board for seven years, Kevin knows just how important this community is.
“Originally when I retired, I knew that I wanted to do some volunteer things. And I’ve continued ever since,” Kevin says.
Over the years, Kevin has witnessed the growing need. Thankfully, he and the 130 volunteers at the pantry have created their own close-knit community, always ready to lend a hand to a neighbor.
“We’re like extended family here, which also helps make it work. When people need something, there’s always one of us that can pitch in and help,” Kevin says. “One of our recipients will write us a note saying, ‘If you weren’t here, we wouldn’t have been able to make it,’ and that validates everything that we do.”
From partnering with local businesses to providing evening programs with food boxes and snack bags, Kevin has done it all. He’s also encouraging others to get involved!
His story reminds us how much of an impact giving back to our community has. “If you’re thinking about volunteering, come. Just try it,” he offers.
The South Portland Food Cupboard makes this connection possible, building a stronger community and getting us one step closer to a Maine where everyone is food secure.
Join volunteers like Kevin in supporting our communities. Volunteer or donate today to help Mainers thrive.
Carol (left) found the helping hand she needed at Footprints Food Pantry, a partner of
Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Your Support Makes a Difference
Carol was born and raised in Maine. She lived in New York for a time — and still enjoys returning to visit her daughter and granddaughter in New York City — but she and her husband settled back in Maine for their retirement years.
Like many older Mainers, Carol says retirement isn’t always easy. Providing food for themselves, and sometimes their grandson, can be a difficult task when facing the challenges of inflation on a fixed income.
“Everything’s got way over our price range because we were independent truckers and Social Security is not up there,” Carol says.
Thanks to Footprints Food Pantry, a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank, Carol has access to healthy foods like eggs, butter, bread, and produce to supplement what she can buy. She draws on her past experience as a cook to make the food she receives stretch even further.
Carol maintains a positive spirit, enjoying gardening and cooking nutritious meals for her family. She’s touched by the kindness of the volunteers and generosity of Mainers.
“This place, it’s a wonder,” she declares. “The people here are just absolutely adorable. They treat you like you’re a regular human being.”
Compassion from Mainers like you helps Footprints Food Pantry step up to provide nourishing food for community members like Carol.
Thank you for sharing kindness with Maine families. Your continued support makes all the difference and helps get us closer to a future where everyone is food secure.
With rising prices, Juan relies on the fresh produce he receives from a Portland areapartner of Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Lending a Helping Hand
Juan knows the value of a helping hand, having helped support his family for many years. After a lifetime of hard work, spending 50 years in agriculture, he is now retired.But with rising prices, Juan finds it difficult to afford food while paying his bills and supporting his family on a limited income. He is deeply grateful for the food pantry in his local community — a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank — that helps him bridge that gap.
“It helps me greatly because I am already retired, and my retirement pension is low,” he shares.
With the support from the pantry, Juan has access to nutritious food for the entire week, easing the financial strain on his family.
The relief he feels is immense, knowing he is able to provide his family with nourishing meals.
“It helps because we spend less in the grocery store,” he says with gratitude. “You give us help.”
Thanks to the support of caring friends like you, we can ensure older Mainers like Juan have the nutritious food they need all year round.
Your kindness helps families like Juan’s!