Maine Food Bank Distributed a Record Number of Meals in 2024

Even though hunger has always been a problem here in Maine, the need has increased dramatically in the last few years.

What started as a result of pandemic-era layoffs, has continued because of the state of the economy and the insane levels of inflation we have all be dealing with.

Last year was a record year for one notable Maine food bank.

According to a recent article on the Maine Biz website, 2024 was a record year for the Good Shepherd Food Bank.  Last year, the state-wide hunger fighting organization distributed over 40 million meals.  When you consider that Maine is a state of only 1.3 million people, this is a mind blowing number.

The article explains that this goes along with the steady increase in food insecurity that the state has seen over the last few decades.  The article explains that the organization served 10.7 million meals in 2010, 29 million meals in 2022, and 33.6 million meals in 2023.

The organization has the help of thousands of Maine citizens and hundreds of Maine businesses.  While the numbers vary from year to year, in 2024, 116 businesses and corporate entities made donations to the food bank program.

As the Good Shepherd Food Bank is led by Heather Paquette, a former Hannaford executive, it makes sense that the supermarket chain would be one of the biggest donors to the organization.

If you would like to make a donation it is important to remember that every little bit helps.  Even if it is only a few dollars.  It all adds up.

You can learn more about the food bank and how to make a donation HERE.