Harvest for Hope

From the Good Shepard Food Bank:
The Farm, Dairy and Seafood Initiative, launched last year, has enabled GSFB to purchase and distribute 350,000 pounds of fresh Maine produce and seafood for needy families all across the state! This year, they seek to greatly extend this success of Mainers feeding Mainers even more.

The boxes in the background were all donated by Hannaford.  Hannaford has been working with the GSFB since 1983 and was a large part of their success.

Last week I went to the Good Shepard Food Bank in Auburn to meet with Rick Small, executive director.  Rick knows there is a link missing in our food systems and he intends to fix it with the Good Shepard Food Bank's Harvest to Hope program.  We began our conversation with a tour of the facility.  He took me through the facility the same way the food goes through- from drop-off to distribution.  It was amazing-   there was a great deal of food and boxes and their system is so efficient- but it becomes overwhelming to think about how many people in Maine are hungry.
      Apparently, a while back, the GSFB recieved a truck full of canned peas from China that were completely unedible.  This got everyone thinking about how they can get more good foods from Maine to the people in Maine who are hungry- Mainers feeding Mainers.  Rick and I also talked about the unfortunate reality that their are many of our own producers that are hungry.  We talked about how great it would be if GSFB could set up a processing system that would provide local produce and seafood to hungry Mainers!  We have a long way to go but I am really excited to continue my conversations with Rick and develop new ways to get more seafood to more Mainers.
     I am also planning an event right now- the proceeds will be donated to the Good Shepard Food Bank to help build awareness around what they are doing- let you know the details when I know them!

The GSFB inspection system is extremely efficient. 
Each item is inspected, catagorized and the expiration date is noted.

There are many, many shelves of food like these. 
Yet it is unfortunate to think that there are even more families in Maine that are hungry.