Thanks to a major gift from Dead River Company, The Good Shepherd Food-Bank, Maine’s largest clearinghouse for donated food to local shelters and pantries, is now able to deliver more food to those who need it most.
Dead River Company recently donated $115,000 to the Good Shepherd Food-Bank for the purchase of a 48-foot tractor trailer truck used to deliver food to the Food-Bank’s distribution centers and to member agencies across the state that provide food to local families and individuals at risk of hunger. The truck was unveiled today at three stops in eastern, central, and southern Maine.
Good Shepherd works with 4 partner agencies in Houlton – St. Mary’s Food Pantry, Salvation Army, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Food Pantry and Boys and Girls Club – Maliseet Indian After School Program.
This year, the Food-Bank will distribute over 13 million pounds of food and grocery products to more than 600 agencies that serve all 16 counties in Maine. Of the 1.32 million people in Maine, more than 15 percent, or 200,000 are hungry. Maine ranks 13th in the nation and number one in New England for food insecurity. A person is considered food insecure if they lack access to enough food to ensure adequate nutrition.
Good Shepherd Food-Bank is the primary and best source of food for local agencies. By partnering with the Food-Bank local food pantries receive a combined savings of millions of dollars annually. This enables many agencies to stretch their limited operating funds to further extend their services to those in need. The truck donated by Dead River Company will help deliver the much needed food across the state.
“This donation will make a big difference in our ability to support food pantries and other hunger relief organizations across Maine,” said David Pierson, chair of Good Shepherd Food-Bank’s board of directors. “Maine is a large state and the Food Bank serves hundreds of nonprofits in all 16 counties. With this gift, Dead River will be helping us reach families in need in all corners of the state every day.”
“Our motto is ‘Delivering on a Promise,’” said Bob Moore, Dead River Company CEO. “With this donation, we’re delivering on a promise we’ve made to support the communities we serve. By the nature of our work, Dead River employees are on the ground, in the communities we serve, and inside homes. We see the need first-hand and want to help address the dire circumstances facing so many families. We’re a family business. For a hundred years the Dead River Company family has been a part of people’s lives. But it’s time for us to play a bigger part in making their lives better. We’ve always given back to our communities, but we want to do more to help. And we will.”
Moore noted that Dead River Company would be expanding its philanthropic efforts to fight hunger across the company’s footprint. Dead River Company is the largest distributor of petroleum products in northern New England.
