Food insecurity requires legislative action, says Sen. Alfond

Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond of Portland released the following statement in response to the Portland Press Herald’s weekend feature on food insecurity in Maine:

“It’s great to see much-needed attention being paid to this critical, dangerous issue,” said Sen. Alfond, who has spent much of his legislative career advocating for anti-hunger initiatives. “Maine is an outlier in New England, and one of the few states in the nation where hunger is growing, not shrinking. Food pantries and soup kitchens do noble work to feed people who would go without, but the Legislature also has to be part of the solution.”

Sen. Alfond has sponsored a bill this session that would increase utilization of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federal program that ensures nutritious meals and snacks are served to children and adults at eligible care facilities, such as YMCA after-school programs.

Here in Maine, many eligible facilities have said they find the program’s application convoluted and confusing. The daunting process means much-needed federal money is left sitting on the table.

The bill — LD 1472, “”Resolve, To Enhance the Administration of the Child and Adult Care Food Program by Creating Clear Guidelines for Organizations and Streamlining the Application Process”—would make the application for CACFP funding available online, and streamline and simplify the paperwork.

According to the PPH report, a 2014 survey by Good Shepherd indicated that “one in seven Mainers turn to local hunger relief agencies at some point of the year. A quarter of them were 60 or older and more than a quarter were younger than 17.”

Sen. Alfond has been a state leader on fighting child hunger, having led the Task Force to End Student Hunger in Maine. He also founded Full Plates, Full Potential, a consortium of state, business and nonprofit leaders dedicated to eradicating child hunger in our state.

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