Maine’s government must do far more to ensure that no one goes hungry.
My family and I have been there. In the mid-1980’s, my family and I moved to Aroostook County from Connecticut for a better life. Despite two incomes, we lived in poverty. Without food stamps, we would have gone hungry or relied on handouts.
One in seven Mainers including one in five children is food insecure. This is a disgrace. In 2014, 178,000 Mainers relied on food pantries or other food assistance. Maine’s government can give tax breaks to monied special interests but won’t see to it that Mainers are not hungry. This responsibility has been accepted by Maine people themselves through organizations including the Maine Network of Community Food Councils. Home | MNCFC
Maine now provides free school lunches to children. https://www.fullplates.org/school-meals-for-all This may be the only meal a child can be sure of in his/her day. Maine’s elderly also need help. They frequently have no one to turn to. Programs such as Meals on Wheels provide a great service to elderly Mainers but we must make sure that everyone who needs help gets it. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/find-meals-and-services/
In 2019, the state government issued a report titled Maine’s Roadmap to End Hunger by 2030. https://www.maine.gov/future/hunger The state in this report completely ignored food security problems of the elderly and children who live in unstable homes. It also made no recommendations to increase state funding to help solve this problem. What it did was to pass the buck to the federal government and private organizations. The report was typical bureaucratic gobbledygook with no firm plan, timetables or accountability. In summary, Maine’s government can and must make food insecurity a higher priority and invest more public resources to ensure that no one goes hungry, and that everyone has nutritious food available. While the private sector is doing a great job, thousands of Mainers should not have to rely so heavily on volunteers and donations to feed them.
