Letter From the Food Bank
Dear Friend,
According to recent data from Feeding America, 1 in 11 older Americans experience food insecurity. These are neighbors who live across the country and in our own state — people who have worked hard, raised families, and helped build our communities.
For older Mainers living on fixed incomes, every day can bring impossible decisions. Should they purchase lifesaving medications or buy groceries for the week? Should they keep their heat on during cold nights or stock their pantry? No one — especially people who have given so much to our communities over the years — should face such choices.
At Good Shepherd Food Bank, we’re committed to ensuring all Mainers have reliable access to nutritious food, and we need your support now so we can do more. As you read through this online edition of Helping Hands, which focuses on hunger relief for seniors, I ask you to think about the older adults in your own life. Then consider making a generous gift today to help provide as many meals as you can to families across Maine.
Remember, every $1 you donate can help provide two nourishing, culturally relevant meals. Together, we can make a difference. Thank you!
Deepest gratitude,
Heather Paquette
President
Alfred is treated like family at Machias Food Pantry.
“This Is Such a Big Help”
Alfred turned 83 in March. He’s retired now, but he worked in the forestry industry and as a heavy-duty mechanic for a paper company for about 14 years. He loves the outdoors and says he used to grow a garden that provided much of what he needed to eat and stay healthy. But tending to a garden is more difficult now, and with high grocery costs creating a barrier to accessing nutritious food, Alfred has been coming to Machias Food Pantry to supplement what he needs to purchase.
“I love that I can come here … because it helps cut down my grocery bill,” he says. “What I can’t get for myself, I know I can get here.”
“This is such a big help — it really helps out a lot,” he adds.
Machias Food Pantry, a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank, is a lifeline for people like Alfred who are living on a fixed income. He loves that he can pick out what he wants and needs, and he’s grateful for the wonderful volunteers he sees each time he visits.
“They’re lovely here — the people are just so lovely. It’s like coming to see family.”
Your support of Good Shepherd Food Bank can help Mainers like Alfred access the nourishing foods that promote good health. Thank you!
William brings his mother-in-law to the Augusta Food Bank.
Helping Older Mainers — and
Family — Thrive
William retired from a career in construction about three years ago. His job took him all over, but his most recent move was coming to Maine after living out West.
Now he lives near his in-laws, and he brings his mother-in-law to the Augusta Food Bank, one of our partners, every week.
“She loves to cook — and she’s really good at it,” he notes. “She especially likes the vegetables the pantry provides, as well as the eggs.”
William says things have been tight for her over the last year. With only her husband’s pension to support them, and the increased cost of food, it can be difficult to afford the groceries they need. William likes to help when he can, which includes bringing her to the pantry.
He’s grateful for the food his mother-in-law can access at the Augusta Food Bank. And although she was feeling too shy to speak with us very much, she did say she appreciates the help … and that it’s a pleasant program.
“We’re very thankful for this program. They show up every week with a smile and are so kind and helpful,” William says. “We appreciate it. We really do.”
Families like William’s can find support through the network of 600 hunger-relief organizations across the state. Thank you!
Jan and her granddaughter Averie urge Mainers to get into the volunteering spirit!
“Please Keep Helping and Giving”
Jan comes from a family of 10, so she understands the importance of pitching in to help. Her parents were among the first volunteers at the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry, a partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank, and she’s helped out here every Thursday for the last three years.
Jan recently added Mondays to her schedule as well and brings her 16-year-old granddaughter Averie along. Aside from providing extra helping hands, she says she wanted to open Averie’s eyes to the needs of people in their community.
“Places like this are awesome,” Jan proclaims. “A place where people can come get what they need. It’s a lifesaver.”
In just a few short months, Averie says she can already see how the food pantry is really helping people who need the support. And she can feel how grateful her neighbors are.
“I see a lot of moms just trying to figure out how to feed their kids — and in the holidays, figuring out how to make a holiday dinner,” Averie shares.
Averie’s message to donors is simple and encouraging, but so important: “Please keep helping and giving. It means so much, and you’re helping so many people.”
As for Jan, she is glad that she’s able to continue her family’s tradition of service within the community. She hopes others will join them. “Come with me and volunteer, and I’ll show you the ropes!” she exclaims.
There are volunteer opportunities that help end hunger all across the state! For more information or to sign up, visit us online at gsfb.org/get-involved/volunteer.
Thank you for helping to provide nourishing food for Mainers like Carol and Warren.
“This Place Is Wonderful”
Carol and Warren have been together for more than 25 years, and their adorable banter makes their affection for each other obvious.
The two are retired now and moved to Maine three years ago. They have a grown daughter and four grandchildren — and smiles that are contagious. You can feel the joy they carry through their daily lives.
But as we’ve heard time and again, increased expenses have made it difficult for Mainers like Carol and Warren to afford everything they need — especially healthy food. That’s where the charitable food network comes into play.
Thanks in part to generous donors, Carol and Warren are able to access nourishing food from the Machias Food Pantry each week. They are especially grateful that they have the ability to select what they need and what they want through the pantry’s “shopper’s choice” model.
“It really helps lower our grocery bills. This place is wonderful,” Carol says. “It makes it possible for us to get what we need. We’d be lost without it.”
“We’re very thankful for this program. They show up every week with a smile and are so kind and helpful,” William says. “We appreciate it. We really do.”
Your gifts help organizations like the Machias Food Pantry provide hunger relief for Mainers.