USDA ends two Maine food programs

HAMPDEN, Maine — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided locally grown produce to food banks and schools.

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and the Local Foods for Schools Program were launched under the Biden administration.

Their termination is expected to impact Maine food pantries and schools.

Good Shepherd Food Bank had planned to buy around 600,000 pounds of produce from Maine farmers over the next three years through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.

Now, that will no longer be possible.

In addition, the USDA is reducing The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supplies cases of food to regional banks.

Good Shepherd Food Bank President Heather Paquette said that program alone accounts for 20% of the food they distribute.

Now Good Shepherd is trying to figure out how to fill the gaps.

“There’s 180,000 people experiencing food insecurity in our state, and that is growing,” Paquette said. “We are working very hard to address the needs of the people in Maine who count on us every day. And this significant cut in federal food and federal funding makes it much more difficult for us to do our work.”

More than 150 school districts in Maine participated in the Local Foods for Schools Program.

The Maine Department of Education had anticipated receiving nearly $2.8 million over the next three years to provide students with locally grown foods.

That funding has now been canceled.

A USDA spokesperson said that eliminating the programs marks “a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives” and that the department is “prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact.”