BANGOR, Maine — As food insecurity continues to be a growing issue across the state, local organizations and leaders are actively working to address it.
Greater Bangor Area organization Faith Linking in Action was recognized by the City of Bangor with the 2024 Outstanding Stars Award for their work on addressing food insecurity.
"You want people to feel fed not just with food but especially with food but also a sense that people care about them," Suzanne Kelly, the co-chair of Faith Linking in Action, said.
Two years ago, the organization noticed a significant gap in the community's knowledge about where to find food pantries and access to free meals in the Greater Bangor Area.
"We came up with this way of getting that to people so it felt really good to come with something really efficient that they could use," Kelly said.
That is when they decided to create Free Food Bangor Calendars, a resource that lists when and where food pantries and meals are available to the community.
"It's really worked into a smooth operation [that] we feel good about and feel it's something people really need," Kelly said.
The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter is one of over a dozen organizations listed on the Faith Linking in Action's free food calendars.
"Those free food calendars tell people in need where to go," Boyd Kronholm, the executive director at Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, said. "Oftentimes someone has a need and they're hungry and they don't even realize their are services out their for people."
The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter serves free lunch every day to the community at noon and they use the calendar to let people know where they can go to get free meals beyond their organization.
"It’s really important to have these calendars posted also that people are fed all throughout the day and people aren't getting one meal a day," Gretchen Fennelly, the volunteer coordinator at Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, said.
Calendars are posted on the inside and outside of the shelter so when the shelter is not open, people know where to go to get the resources they need.
Leaders with Faith Linking in Action hope other cities and towns in Maine can also adopt a similar schedule so people in need in those communities know when and where food resources are available.
If you would like to learn more information, you can view the Faith Linking in Action’s Free Food Calendars here.