Maine Hunger-relief Agencies Receive $350,000 in Grants from Good Shepherd Food Bank

Capacity Building Grants awarded to partner agencies to make improvements

Good Shepherd Food Bank is pleased to announce the recipients of their first community-led Capacity Building Grant Awards. The purpose of the grant program is to support the Food Bank’s partner network in increasing food access in local communities through organizational and financial stability, program quality, and growth.

“A food program’s capacity for greater service to its clients and the wider community is not limited to access to food. The Capacity Building Grants allows our partner agencies to ‘dream a little,’ to think about what is needed to help them feed more people nutritious food efficiently,” stated Shannon Coffin, vice president of Community Partnerships at Good Shepherd Food Bank. “Pantries can use the funds for reach-in coolers, walk-in refrigerators, shelving, increasing access times, food safety, technology, transportation, or any other project they know will improve their effectiveness.”

While this is not the first year for the grant program, it is the first time the program used a community-led selection model.

“A long-term goal of the Capacity Building Grants program is to transfer decision-making power to the grantees using our community-led grant-making model,” Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank added. “We are grateful to members of our Network Advisory Council and our Community Partnerships Board Committee for their engagement throughout the process and for their valuable input and expertise in the decision-making process.”

This round of grants represents the largest financial investment in agency capacity ever done through a single grant opportunity.

For a full list of the 57 partner agency grantees and their projects, please see below.

Award list:

Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook, Aroostook County

To support a trailer, carts, cones, signage, safety equipment, and refrigeration

Amistad, Cumberland County

To support two horizontal freezers

At a Bend in the Road, Oxford County

To support the rental of a 20 foot U-Haul for 21 weeks

Augusta Food Bank, Kennebec County

To support the purchase and installation of floor scale

Bar Harbor Food Pantry, Hancock County

To increase staffing capacity

Bethel District Exchange/Food Pantry, Bethel Food Pantry, Oxford County

To increase cold storage capacity

Bon Appetit Community Meal Program, York County

Towards the acquisition of a new or used vehicle

Bread of Life Ministries, Kennebec County

To purchase and install a walk-in freezer

Brewer Area Food Pantry OHI, Penobscot County

To purchase equipment and to complete renovations

Chelsea Food Bank, Kennebec County

To increase storage equipment and upgrading heating system

Church Community Outreach Services, York County

To purchase a mix of new and used equipment for new pantry location

Come Spring Food Pantry, Knox County

Tables, large capacity heater, and freezer blankets

Common Good Soup Kitchen, Hancock County

To purchase totes and ice packs

Community Lunch Norway, Oxford County

To purchase additional refrigeration for produce

Corinna UMC Food Pantry, Penobscot County

To purchase a double hung oversized window replacement door, cart pallet jack delivery

Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard, Dover-Foxcroft

To purchase stainless steel work tables

Evening Sandwich Program, Kennebec County

To support the purchase of a commercial door with panic bar and glass window

Footprints Food Pantry, York County

To support refrigeration, air purifiers and a vacuum sealer

Friendship-Cushing Food Pantry, Knox County

To purchase thermal blankets

Grace Interfaith Food Table (GIFT), Aroostook County

To purchase and install an air conditioner, CoolBot and SensorPush Wi-Fi Gateway system

H.O.M.E. Inc., Hancock County

To support shelving, tables and cold storage

Hampden Neighborhood Food Cupboard, Penobscot County

To support plowing, a pop-up tent with sides and traffic safety vests

High Street Food Pantry, Androscoggin County

To purchase and install a reach-in freezer

Jefferson Area Community Food Pantry, Lincoln County

To support the purchase of coolers, carts and outreach materials

Kaydenz Kitchen Food Pantry, Androscoggin County

To support the purchase of a used vehicle and expand the delivery program

Limestone Ecumenical Food Pantry, Aroostook County

To purchase rolling shelving and a cart

Lisbon Area Christian Outreach, Androscoggin County

To support refrigeration, outreach materials and a phone

Little River Food Pantry, Waldo County

To address safety issues

Lubec Community Outreach Center, Washington County

To purchase and install a large capacity fridge/cooler and a heavy-duty platform cart

New Beginnings, Inc., Androscoggin County

To increase food storage, mobile food delivery and freezer upgrades

North Monmouth Food Pantry, Kennebec County

To purchase refrigerators, freezers, rolling carts, and portable rolling conveyor belts

Orient Food Pantry, Aroostook County

To purchase tables and utility cart

Oxford Helping Hands, Oxford County

To support U-Haul rentals

Palmyra Baptist Worship Center Soup Kitchen, Somerset County

To purchase freezers, a fridge and shelving

Patten Community Food Cupboard, Penobscot County

To support the purchase of a utility trailer, including registration and program advertising graphics

Sacred Heart/St Dominic’s Food Pantry, Cumberland County

To replace the upright freezer

Sidney Baptist Comm. Food Pantry, Kennebec County

To support refrigeration

St. Ann’s/Penobscot Food Pantry, Penobscot County

To support the purchase of shelving, rolling carts, refrigerator, and cool bags

St. Charles Food & St. Mary’s Food Pantry: St. John Vianney Parish, Aroostook County

To support the purchase of a dual axel covered cargo trailer

St. Luke’s Food Pantry, Cumberland County

To purchase and install a commercial grader refrigerator and freezer combination unit

St. Mary’s in Houlton, Aroostook County

To support the purchase of cold storage units and shelving

St. Peter Chanel (Van Buren) Food Pantry, Aroostook County

To support the purchase of work tables, rolling storage rack, folding platform truck, conveyor system, storage bins, refrigerator-freezers, and safety vests

St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, Cumberland County

To support the purchase of a vehicle

Starks Food Cupboard, Somerset

To support refrigeration

Steep Falls Country Church Soup Kitchen, Cumberland

To support replacing the roof of the dining room area

Sumner Food Bank, Oxford County

To build an 88 sq. ft. addition

Sweden Food Pantry, Oxford County

To purchase a used van

Town of Danforth, Washington County

To support the construction of an awning and thermal food container covers

Trinity Jubilee Center, Androscoggin County

To prepare the facility to safely and efficiently serve guests during the winter months

VCF-Bread of Life Food Pantry, Androscoggin County

To support the purchase of a vehicle

Vineyard Church Of Greater Portland, Cumberland County

To purchase freezers

Waldoboro Food Pantry, Lincoln County

To support a drive-through communication system, including website creation and a laptop equipped with necessary software and service contract

White Memorial Food Pantry, Cumberland County

To purchase a walk-in cooler

Winslow Community Cupboard, Kennebec County

To purchase and install a walk-in freezer

Winthrop Food Pantry, Kennebec County

To purchase hand warmers, a pop-up tent and air purifiers

York Community Service Association Food Pantry, York County

To purchase and install a window and air curtain

York County Shelter Programs, York County

Walk-in freezer and cooler