As summer ends and the harvest begins to wane, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is hard at work planning how to provide relief for food insecurity through the upcoming winter.
Food insecurity—defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life—affects 20% of Maine kids and 13.5% of adults, an unwelcome spike in numbers that had been steadily decreasing for years and which is primarily attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftereffects. As wages stagnate, costs of living rise, and inflation and “shrinkflation” (when rising costs are hidden by offering less product for the same price) skyrocket, more and more Mainers have found themselves turning to the relief offered by food pantries across the state.
Like other pantries statewide, MCHPP has seen a marked increase in need, including an influx of first-time visitors. The work is constant and necessary: offering dignity and empowerment by providing all members of our community with access to healthy food.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so MCHPP offers multiple avenues for relief: pantry services, including onsite, mobile and satellite pantries; a soup kitchen that provides lunch six days a week; school pantries that ensure local kids have access to meals over the weekend, direct-to-door deliveries for those facing transportation or time constraints; and year-round sharing tables which offer produce gleaned from local farms and available for anyone to take.
All of these services have seen an uptick in need during the last few years as more and more people are struggling, reverberations from the pandemic continue to echo, and challenges compound. Pantries normally see a slowdown during summer, when produce from home gardens is plentiful and heating bills are not a factor, but that has not been the case this year. Whether due to loss of work, health effects from the coronavirus, or because wages are lagging behind the cost of everything from electricity to fuel to food, Mainers who have previously felt secure in their home pantries have now opted to seek supplementary supplies.
At the same time as need has risen, organizations across the state have also seen a drop in donations, likely attributable to those same factors that are pushing more and more Mainers to avail themselves of these services.
As we enter the cooler months, need will continue to rise — fuel bills increase, inflation climbs, and sticker prices at the grocery store show no sign of leveling off. We welcome you to MCHPP, to access food, volunteer your time, or to support this work. Together, we will build a longer table that welcomes all of our neighbors around.
Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local nonprofit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community.
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