Governor Janet T. Mills (D) announced today she is taking action to deliver $1.25 million to Good Shepherd Food Bank and other anti-hunger programs in Maine as the Federal shutdown is poised to cease food benefits for 170,000 Maine famililes, older adults, children, veterans and people with disabilities on Saturday, November 1, in partnership with Maine philanthropy.
The $1.25 million consists of $1 million from the Governor’s contingency account, plus $250,000 from the John T. Gorman Foundation. Using existing state relationships with Good Shepherd Food Bank and the state’s network of Area Agencies on Aging, these funds will be distributed to support the state’s network of food pantires and other anti-hunger programs and organizaions across the state.
“When the federal government fails, Maine will not. When challenges arise, Maine people step up. 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, chldren, seniors and people with disabililties,” said Governor Mills. “My Administration is continuing to evaluate all options and push for solutions in Washington. One of the things I love about Maine is that we take care of each other, which is more important now than ever. I encourage Maine people to donate to your local food bank, check on your neighbors and support you community in the face of significant hardship caused by this needless federal shutdown.”
“In Maine, neighbors help each other when there’s a storm on the horizon. As 170,000 Mainers — including nearly 55,000 children — stand to lose the food assistance they depend on, this is one of those moments,” said John T. Gorman Foundation President & CEO Nicole Witherbee. “It’s crucial that we do everyting we can to lesson the blow for these families and support the frontline organizations who will be working to meet an unprecedented level of demand until these benefits are restored. For the sake of our neighbors, I hope that’s soon.”
Details on the funding include:
$650,000 in Governor’s contingency funds and funds from the John T. Gorman Foundation for the Good Shepherd Food Bank, to support food pantries and anti-hunger initiatives throughout Maine;
$600,000 in Governor’s contingency funding for AgeWiseMaine the state association for Maine’s Area Agencies on Aging, for the agencies to increase the availability of meals in community dining locations, grab-and-go meals, and extre meals through Meals on Wheels to seniors and people with disabilities;
In addition, the Governor has directed the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to commit an additional $10,000 to enhance the Hunters for the Hungry program, which pays the processing cost to qualified game processing businesses for donated bear, deer and moose.
On October 10, the US Department of Agriculture informed states that benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP will not be distributed in November due to the Federal shutdown. Each month, some $29 million in Federal funding for SNAP is provided to 170,000 Maine people, with the average family of four receiving $572 each month.
Nearlly 12.5 percent of the state’s population rely on SNAP, with several counties — Androscoggin, Aroostook, Washington Piscataquis and Somerset — approaching or surpassing 20 percent of their populations. Nearly 75% of Maine’s SNAP households include at least one working adult, more than half include a person with a disability, 43 percent include an older adult, and over one-third include chldren.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Aaron M. Frey announced that Maine had joined a multi-state lawsuit to compel USDA to releae contingeny funds, which have been authorized by Congress, to pay for SNAP benefits in November.
For more information on the multi-state lawsuit compelling USDA to release contingency funds for SNAP, please visit post herein dated October 28 2025.