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CMP donates $100K to help feed Maine kids during the coronavirus pandemic

Central Maine Power is helping Full Plates Full Potential Emergency Fund feed Maine students amid coronavirus, COVID-19 school closures.

PORTLAND, Maine — Central Maine Power is stepping up again to help Maine people during the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic

Full Plates Full Potential, a Maine nonprofit that works to end child hunger in all Maine counties, announced a $100,000 CMP donation to the emergency fund that works to keep kids fed even when local school resources start to dry up. 

As we know, some Maine students rely on school lunches and food programs for meals as they may not get any at home. Now that some Maine schools having been closed for weeks, groups like Full Plates Full Potential fill those gaps. 

According to the release from FPFP, 80,000 Maine kids rely on school-related meals for their daily nutrition. 

Seven hundred meal sites have been set up in Maine since the beginning of the coronavirus school closures, helping kids get up to 14 meals a week, according to Justin Alfond, Co-Founder of Full Plates Full Potential.

"Our guiding principle is that no child should go hungry," said Alfond. "During this crisis, more than ever, school meals are the first and best safety net for kids. School emergency food programs are doing everything they can to reach their students. CMP's donation is timely and critical for kids. We're in this for the long haul and thanks to CMP, Maine children will continue accessing nutritious meals."

CMP's chairman David Flanagan says it's crucial to help Mainers through this challenging time. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted the daily routines and meal security of school children across our state," said Flanagan. "We are grateful that we are able to join forces with Full Plates Full Potential, an organization that knows how to work with existing childhood nutrition programs to get food to the kids. This is another common-sense example of Mainers helping Mainers in a time of crisis."

CMP also partnered with us at NEWS CENTER Maine for our #MaineUnited telethon. NEWS CENTER Maine and all of the Maine United Way's teamed up to raise over $633,516 to help Mainers impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. CMP donated $200,000 to our effort. 

Officials with Full Plates Full Potential estimate CMP's donation will help support 125 schools and 51,000 students. 

For more information about Full Plates Full Potential, please visit their website.

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

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