PORTLAND, Maine– Two Maine organizations, Black Owned Maine, and Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, are excited to announce the distribution of $306,000 in community grants to community food projects across the state. The goal of the Community Redistribution Fund , is to empower nonprofits that serve Maine’s BIPOC low-income communities to get increased and sustainable access to culturally relevant food.
“Meeting basic needs is a critical element of an individual’s ability to support themselves and become a successful entrepreneur,” says Rose Barboza, co-founder and CEO of Black Owned Maine. “BOM is proud to partner with Good Shepherd Food Bank to support food-based nonprofits doing this important work, so the BIPOC community has food not only for today but also for the future.“
Employees from the Food Bank and Black Owned Maine, as well as community partners considered leaders in their respective communities, reviewed grant applications that proposed projects aimed at making significant strides in addressing food insecurity and promoting long-term sustainability.
Implementation
La Finca
MASJID SALAAM MOSQUE
Mawita’nej Epijij First Nations Youth Group
Racial Equity and Justice
Multicultural Community and Family Support Services
Somali Bantu Community Association
Tree Street Youth
Bomazeen Land Trust
Cultivating Community
Greater Portland Family Promise
Maine Community Integration
Planning
Living With Peace International
Cumberland Islamic Center
Maine Muslim Community Center
Good Shepherd Food Bank and 600+ hunger-relief organizations, community members, staff, and supporters, are actively working toward a new bold vision: everyone in Maine is food secure. Guided by a recently completed strategic plan, which will take the organization through 2030, and in partnership with the State’s Ending Hunger Roadmap, the Food Bank and Black Owned Maine are committed to providing the nutrition people experiencing hunger need today, while partnering to address the root causes of hunger for the future.
For more information, please visit www.feedingmaine.org.
Editor’s Note: High-resolution images are available upon request.
About Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine:
As the largest hunger-relief organization in Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank supports Mainers facing hunger by sourcing nutritious, culturally relevant food and distributing it to 600 hunger-relief organizations across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, health care centers, and senior programs.
The Food Bank also supports network partners with capacity-building and innovation grants that improve and promote equitable and dignified access to nutritious food across the state. Last year, the Food Bank distributed a record 39 million meals through the charitable food network, and strategically invested almost $1 million in grants to Maine’s hunger-relief network. The Food Bank is also partnering with the State of Maine’s Ending Hunger Roadmap and working alongside community organizations, policy makers, the public and private sectors, philanthropic leaders, and everyday people to cut food insecurity by 2030 through advocacy, nutrition education, and systemic change.
Media Contact For Black Owned Maine:
Rose Barboza
Founder, Black Owned Maine
Phone: 207-849-0008
Email: rose@blackownedmaine.com
Media Contact for Good Shepherd Food Bank:
Jessica Donahue, Director of Marketing and Communications, JDonahue@GSFB.org
