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

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Senator Justin Alfond, Marcia Gendron, principal at East End Community School, Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, and John Murphy, president of Maine Credit Union League.

(Portland) – On Monday, September 29, at the East End Community School in Portland, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger distributed some of the record-breaking $513,000 raised in 2013 by making a $25,000 contribution for the second year in a row to continue its support the Good Shepherd Food Bank’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Maine. The contribution is the second year of a three-year commitment pledged by Maine’s credit unions last year.

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.”

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 the BackPack program in 36 schools.

Additionally, the Food Bank has School Pantry sites in 43 schools. 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. Last year was the first—and successful— year operating both programs, providing 200,000 meals to Maine children who were struggling with hunger.

“The Food Bank is extremely grateful for our partnership with Maine’s credit unions and the Campaign for Ending Hunger,” says Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank. “Maine’s credit unions have been raising money to fight hunger for years, but this multi-year gift for the Food Bank’s child hunger programs is especially important. The rates of child hunger in Maine are unacceptable. We have enough nutritious food to provide for every child who needs a meal. With support from dedicated partners like Maine’s Credit Unions we can make a big difference.”

Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised $5.3 million to help end hunger in Maine including a record-setting $513,000 raised in 2013. All contributions to the Campaign are tax-deductible.
About the Maine Credit Union League

Founded in 1938, the Maine Credit Union League is the State Trade Association for Maine’s 61 credit unions with 646,000 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.