NEWS & UPDATES
Our View: LePage should back bill to close student food gap
A federal program aimed at filling this gap is gaining ground in Maine. For the first time since it was launched in the 1970s, the Summer Food Service Program is providing free meals in every county in the state. The Maine Department of Education, which oversees the program here, enabled this expansion by stepping up
Preble Street to expand veterans services
Preble Street Resource Center, which has been helping low-income residents at its Portland location since the 1970s, landed a $1.7 million U.S. Veterans Affairs grant Thursday to expand its program for homeless veterans from Portland to the entire state. Mark Swann, Preble Street’s executive director, said the federal grant will help the group serve about
Feeding Maine's hungry kids: summer meal programs expand
For the first time ever, every county in Maine has free summer meal sites for kids. It’s a feat that’s taken decades to achieve, since the federal Summer Food Service Program began in the late 60s. But even in 2013, advocates say, lack of awareness is the biggest barrier between hungry kids and free summer
Maine's summer food service program participation
STATEWIDE (WGME) — One in four Maine children doesn’t know when, or if, they’ll eat on any given day. There’s millions of federal dollars available to help feed food insecure kids, but Maine has left about 90 percent of that funding on the table. Officials are trying increase participation in the summer food service program.
Homeless Awareness Event On The First Day Of Summer In Portland
PORTLAND (WGME) — The sun was up for about 15 and a half hours Friday, the longest day of the year, and some folks in Portland are using every minute of daylight to raise awareness about homelessness in the city. It’s the Preble Street Homeless Voices for Justice annual Summer Solstice sit-out. The event portrays
Preble Street's role in ending hunger expanding throughout Maine
MECHANIC FALLS – The RSU 16 Summer Meals program held its first meal at Elm Street School on Friday with an 8 a.m. pancake breakfast and a barbecued chicken lunch – plus some fun and games. "We just wanted to let people know we’re here and to learn more about what we do," said Betty
Portland Food Drive Wrapping Up
PORTLAND (WGME) — Summer is an especially difficult time of year for Mainers struggling to feed their families. Maine is the 7th hungriest state in the country and the hungriest in New England. Often, families have to come up with more meals for kids that aren’t getting meals at school. And typically, donations are down
Portland Food Pantry gets much needed donation
For nearly a month, New England Rehab has been collecting non-perishable food items for the Preble Street Food Pantry in Portland. Monday, they delivered the last of those items to the pantry — which feeds about 150 families per week in the community. Besides being a place to pick up free groceries for struggling families…
Portland City Council To Address Panhandling
PORTLAND (WGME) — Portland city councilors voted Tuesday night to move forward a proposed ban on panhandling in city medians. The City Council voted down a similar ban last fall. Since then, there have been a rising number of complaints over panhandling across the city. Officials believe this causes an unsafe situation for pedestrians and
A free lunch?
Lunch is in when school is out. Thanks to a cooperative effort between the Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative, the Liberty Family Foundation (LFF) and the MSAD 15 Food Service Department, kids in Gray and New Gloucester have access to free lunch for the summer. Beginning on June 24, and continuing through August 16, every
Eat, so the truly hungry can too
John Woods believes this year’s Taste of the Nation dinner will be the best ever. Of course, as the state chair of the event, he says that every year. But it’s for good reason, and it’s usually true. "We have to be better every year because this issue is not going away," Woods said. The
Panhandling solutions imperfect
I gave a panhandler a buck Tuesday morning. I’m not sure why — I readily admit I ignore Portland’s ever-growing legion of median-strip dwellers far more often than I lower the driver’s window and pass them a few coins or a dollar bill. But it was raining hard and I figured if this hapless soul
