AUGUSTA — Advocates for statewide hunger prevention programs told lawmakers this week that additional funding is needed to support a program that buys food from local farmers and gives it to those in need. 

The Mainers Feeding Mainers program buys fresh produce from 100 farmers in all 16 counties and the food is then sent to local food pantries. 

Rep. Anne Graham, D-North Yarmouth, is sponsoring legislation to spend $2 million over two years to support statewide hunger relief services. The money would be in addition to the existing $1 million annual state allocation, which is added to funds raised by Good Shepherd Food Bank. 

“This initiative ensures that individuals facing food insecurity have access to a diverse array of healthy fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, fish and meat,” Graham told members of the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee on Thursday. 

Statistics show one in eight people in Maine live in households that struggle to afford enough food to eat, according to the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. And when it comes to children, Maine has the highest rate of food insecurity in New England, with one in five children living in food insecure households. 

The demand for food from local pantries is also on the rise. 

In 2022, a sample of about 300 food pantries showed an average number of households served per month of 36,931. That grew to 40,763 in 2023 and jumped again to 50,383 in 2024, according to data from Good Shepherd. 

Cape Elizabeth farmer Penny Jordan said she works with five other local farmers to make sure fresh food is getting to Portland-area pantries through the Mainers Feeding Mainers program. 

“I recognize that these additional dollars will challenge an already tight budget but as the federal government starts to leave people behind and fend for themselves, we as a state must step up and ensure that our neighbors have access to healthy food,” she said. 

The bill, which will be voted on in committee in the coming weeks, also earned strong support from the Maine Farm Bureau. 

“We need to be more reliant on Maine farms and Maine produced food and not so reliant on maybe food that comes from out of state or out of the country,” said Garrett Mason, a farm bureau advocate.