NEWS & UPDATES
How you can help end hunger in Maine
A long line of people wrapping around the building, mostly men and women but some children too, hugging the wall, waiting to get in. Waiting for a place at the table. No, this line is not the line winding every night around the Preble Street Soup Kitchen. Though this line is about hunger, it is
Democrats move forward with Medicaid expansion bill
AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Democrats are moving forward with their plan to link expansion of Medicaid to payment of the state’s $484 million hospital debt. In a party-line vote, the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted 7-5 to approve the bill Thursday. Both parties held news conferences Thursday on the issue. Democrats say it’s
Panhandling in Portland is a symptom; poverty, the problem
No aspect of urban poverty strikes the same emotional nerve as panhandling. Record numbers of homeless people crowding into shelters doesn’t do it. People lining up outside soup kitchens doesn’t do it. Reports of children showing up for school without having enough of the right food they need to be ready to learn just get
Our View: With hunger growing, not time to cut SNAP
Too many Americans don’t have enough to eat, but the big debate in Washington seems to be how much to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Senate and House committees have passed their own versions of a new farm bill. The Senate would cut SNAP (which used to be known as food stamps) by $4
Homelessness up 8 percent in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine -A survey of Maine’s homeless population counted nearly 1,200 people who didn’t have a place to live one night in January. Volunteers canvassed the state counting the number of people living in shelters, cars and even tents. The Maine State Housing Authority’s annual Point in Time survey found that the number of homeless
Hunger crisis calls for immediate attention
Food is a basic need. Without it, we can’t survive. Maine is in the midst of a food crisis that is so widespread and complex we can’t always see it. But it is there, and it is profound. First, the good news: We are not starving. Poverty in Maine does not look like Third World
Maine activists, acclaimed film call for action to end U.S. hunger
PORTLAND – On Tuesday night, 452 people stood in line for their dinner at Preble Street — more than twice the number who gathered hours later to call for an end to hunger in the United States. For Donna Yellen, director of the Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative, those numbers are telling. More than 200,000
Sundance film screenings take aim at hunger problem
PORTLAND – The Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative on Tuesday will host the Portland premiere of a critically acclaimed film about hunger in America. “A Place at the Table,” which was a selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, tells the true stories of three people who don’t know where their next meal will come
Anti-hunger film to screen in Portland
PORTLAND – Preble Street’s Maine Hunger Initiative is hosting the Portland premiere of "A Place at the Table," a documentary film on food insecurity, on Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m., at Nickelodeon Cinemas, 1 Temple St. An official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, "A Place at the Table" tells the real-life stories
PFD launches safety campaign following fire death
The Portland Fire Department is partnering with social service agencies to reach out to the city’s homeless population and educate them about fire safety. Fire Chief Jerome LaMoria, members of the PFD and various agencies began handing out flameless candles and fire prevention pamphlets Tuesday outside the Preble Street Resource Center. The outreach and education
Hunger isn’t getting the attention it should
The stock market has recovered. Home prices are starting to recover and jobs numbers are creeping back, if at a glacial pace. But for many Mainers, the Great Recession of 2008 has never ended. If you were poor before the recession, you probably still are. If you were middle-income in 2008, you are lucky if
Bill to raise Maine minimum wage gets final House approval
AUGUSTA – Acting without debate Tuesday, the Maine House gave final passage to a bill to raise Maine’s $7.50 hourly minimum wage in stages to $9, and sent it to the Senate for a final vote. While the LePage administration spoke against the bill at a hearing last month, it’s unclear what action Republican Gov.
