DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis Regional Food Center and Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine announce the launch of the Community-Driven Strategies to End Hunger initiative in Piscataquis County.
“In 2018, the Food Bank built upon existing work to divide Maine into 27 regions,” Shannon Coffin, Good Shepherd Food Bank’s vice president of community partnerships, stated. “We then used town-level food insecurity data and determined community-level meal gaps. Local experts come together with Good Shepherd Food Bank team members to identify solutions to the area’s unique food access challenges.”
The Food Bank focuses on two to three of the 27 regions each year. Cohort four is beginning this fall and includes Piscataquis County. Each region will develop its own environmental scans, identify key stakeholders, assess strengths and opportunities, host focus groups with those experiencing food insecurity, and create work plans for ending hunger in their communities.
“This investment by Good Shepherd Food Bank in our county means that our agencies, thought leaders, and patrons can work together to find solutions tailored to combat hunger in our communities,” said Kelly Sirimoglu, Piscataquis Regional Food Center’s executive director. “Piscataquis County has challenges that may not exist in other parts of the state, and when we approach the problem with local knowledge, we are much more likely to be successful. It is a wonderful program.”
The Food Bank’s Community-Driven Strategies to End Hunger initiative has supported projects/objectives in Lewiston, Portland suburbs, Northern Penobscot County, Washington County, and Lincoln County. Cohort three is currently in progress and supports projects in Northern Kennebec County and Somerset County. Cohort four will begin this fall and will be supporting projects in Piscataquis County and the Biddeford area.
If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the solution to end hunger in Piscataquis County and Maine, please contact PRFC at info@prfoodcenter.org.
For more information and a complete list of Community-Driven Strategies supported projects, please visit www.FeedingMaine.org.