The LePage administration likes to tout how it has reduced the number of people who receive social services in Maine. If fewer people get government help, the thinking goes, the problems that caused their need for help also have been magically eliminated. Data show this isn’t true. Take hunger. A new report from the U.S. Department … Read more
Nearly half of all kids in Maine qualify for free and reduced-price lunch at school. During the summer months, when school is out, there haven’t been a lot of options for those families – but that’s starting to change. In the past ten years, the number of summer meal sites in the state has more … Read more
… At Portland’s Preble Street Teen Center, the event typically has raised $11,000 to $19,000 for meals, said Elena Schmidt, chief development officer for Preble Street. The total budget for the teen center’s soup kitchen is about $97,000, she said … Read more.
A record-breaking 400 people enjoyed an afternoon and evening of fancy sips and bites at Taste of the Nation at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. The annual fundraiser for Share Our Strength, with tickets priced at $125 for general admission and $200 for VIP, including a cocktail reception, raised more than $200,000 toward the … Read more
WESTBROOK – While the school year may be winding down, efforts to prepare for this year’s Summer Food Program are ramping up, as Westbrook officials and volunteers work to keep food, nutrition and physical activity on students’ plates. The program, which is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides free lunch for children … Read more
Portland Ovations presents, in collaboration with SPACE Gallery, the poignant and provocative Who’s Hungry for 4 performances at SPACE Gallery on April 10th at 8 pm, April 11th at 8 pm and Saturday April 12th at 2 pm and 8 pm. Who’s Hungry is an evening of experimental tabletop puppet theater that gives a voice … Read more
It’s no secret that far too many children go hungry in Maine. Less widely known is that there are effective and affordable ways to reach our most at-risk students both during the school year, and when classes let out for vacation. Extending free or reduced-priced lunches during the summer months is one measure helping to … Read more
Add yet another group to Gov. Paul LePage’s war on the poor: hungry kids. Sometime in the next few days, the Legislature will find itself staring once again at "An Act To Further Reduce Student Hunger" – a no-brainer piece of legislation passed overwhelmingly by the House and Senate last spring only to fall victim … Read more
Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative VISTA Heather Zimmerman discusses the importance of summer meals for school children who rely on free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch during the school year.
There are 150 fewer children in Oxford County who are hungry this summer. Those children now eat a nutritious lunch with fruit, sandwich and milk, thanks to five new federal Summer Food Service meal sites opened by the Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative, with community support from RSU 16 food services, local businesses and volunteers. … Read more
