PORTLAND – On Friday, May 18, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, which raised a record-setting $447,000 in 2011, distributed some of those funds by making a donation to each of the State’s Agencies On Aging Meals On Wheels Programs in honor of National Older Americans Month. The Campaign presented a total of $1,500 to the five agencies that serve meals to Maine’s older population through this Program at its state headquarters at the William S. Cohen Community Center in Hallowell.
The following Meals on Wheels Programs received contributions: The Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, which serves all of Aroostook County; The Eastern Maine Agency on Aging, which serves Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington Counties; The Eastern Maine Agency on Aging, which serves Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington Counties; Seniors Plus, which serves Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties; The Southern Maine Agency on Aging, which serves Cumberland and York Counties; and Spectrum Generations, which serves Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset and Waldo Counties.
In the latest rankings by the USDA of senior food insecurity, Maine had the highest percentage of senior food insecurity in New England, and the 17th highest in the country. Currently, six percent of Maine’s senior population are food insecure.
“This donation helps meet a need that is not felt just this month, but throughout the year,” Jon Paradise, Governmental & Public Affairs Manager for the Maine Credit Union League, explained. “Our seniors have contributed greatly to this state and making sure they have enough to eat is the right thing to do. For many seniors, the Meals on Wheels Programs not only provide much-needed meals but also provide important human interaction, especially to those seniors who live alone. In addition to making a monetary contribution, Maine’s credit unions also hope to build awareness of the issue of senior hunger in Maine.”
John Nale, Board Chair of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging, expressed his appreciation for the generosity of Maine’s credit unions. “Meals on Wheels is a vital program for our seniors, so this contribution will make a big difference. I applaud the success and commitment of Maine’s credit unions in raising funds for ending hunger. Thank you for thinking of older Mainers who can sometimes be forgotten when the issue of hunger is mentioned.”
Each year, nearly all of Maine’s credit unions participate in the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger. Since 1990, when this collective effort began, Maine’s credit unions have raised and distributed more than $4.3 million to help end hunger in Maine including a record-setting $447,000 in 2011. 100% of all funds raised stays in Maine and goes directly to ending hunger.
