Governor Janet Mills announced Wednesday that she is releasing $1.25 million in state and private funds to help offset the loss of federal food assistance caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
The plan includes $1 million from the governor’s contingency account and $250,000 from the John T. Gorman Foundation, to be distributed through the Good Shepherd Food Bank and Maine’s network of Area Agencies on Aging. The funding aims to address the lapse in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits set to impact 170,000 Maine residents beginning November 1.
“When the federal government fails, Maine will not,” Mills said in a statement. “In partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation, we are taking action to deliver $1.25 million to strengthen Maine’s food pantries, Meals on Wheels, and other programs that help support the food needs of Maine families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities.”
John T. Gorman Foundation President and CEO Nicole Witherbee said the foundation’s contribution is meant to help fill an urgent gap. “As 170,000 Mainers — including nearly 55,000 children — stand to lose the food assistance they depend on, this is one of those moments when neighbors must help each other,” she said.
The Mills administration outlined the allocations as follows:
- $650,000 for the Good Shepherd Food Bank to support pantries and anti-hunger efforts statewide.
- $600,000 for AgeWise Maine to expand community dining, grab-and-go meals, and Meals on Wheels for seniors and people with disabilities.
- An additional $10,000 from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to enhance the Hunters for the Hungry program, which funds the processing of donated game.
Good Shepherd Food Bank President Heather Paquette said the funds “will help us provide food and other resources for the nearly 600 food pantries and other organizations that we work with.”
AgeWise Maine Board Chair Megan Walton added that the support will “allow us to strengthen our reach at a time when so many more people are at risk of going without food.”
The move comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified states earlier this month that SNAP benefits will not be distributed in November due to the shutdown. Maine typically receives $29 million monthly in SNAP funds, with the average household of four receiving $572 per month. Nearly 12.5 percent of Mainers rely on SNAP, with the rate exceeding 20 percent in some rural counties.
Earlier this week, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey joined a multi-state lawsuit seeking to force the USDA to release contingency funds that Congress previously authorized to continue SNAP benefits.
Mills, who has faced criticism from conservatives for increasing state spending in recent years, emphasized that Maine would not wait for Washington to act. “We take care of each other,” she said, urging Mainers to donate to local food banks and check on neighbors.
The administration highlighted previous food security measures, including universal free school meals for students and annual funding for the Good Shepherd Food Bank since 2020.
