Maine's largest hunger relief organization will be able to provide about 10 million more meals a year in the state, thanks to a $1 million grant that will help pay for major improvements to its distribution center in Hampden.
Good Shepherd Food Bank works with local organizations to get food from Hampden, to communities all around the state.
Public Affairs Director Clara Whitney says the money will help pay for a renovation which will, among other things, create a lot more cold storage space for nourishing fresh foods.
"So everything from produce to fruits, fish from fisheries and grains, some dairy," Whitney says. And so we need the cold storage capacity to store that food and get it out to our partners across the state."
Whitney says the grant, from the Next Generation Foundation, means Good Shepherd will be able to start renovations within a year
The organization last year provided about 19 million meals. The USDA estimates that more than 16 percent of Maine households don't have reliable access to enough nutritious food.
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