Child poverty and food insecurity are connected, persistent issues that continue to impact far too many Mainers day to day. Now is the time to use every tool at our disposal to confront the challenge of poverty and childhood food insecurity. I want to take the time to tell you about a couple of things we’ve been working on in Augusta to address these very important issues.
Henry Ingwersen
According to Good Shepherd Food Bank, 1 in 5 Maine children are food insecure, which means that they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. This is a staggering statistic, especially considering that Maine’s population is smaller than most. Children facing food insecurity can suffer long-term consequences, including negative health outcomes, low academic achievement, and impaired cognitive development. That’s why we must work to invest in families and communities to address this issue.
Unfortunately, food insecurity is only getting worse.
Data from Good Shepherd Food Bank also shows that, since the pandemic, Cumberland and York counties have seen food insecurity rates grow at a much higher rate. Projections show that Somerset County has the second-highest overall rate of food insecurity and child food insecurity in the entire Northeast. This is unacceptable, and something Maine must address. The good news is that lawmakers know we need to act.
This session, LD 1877, a bill I co-sponsored, is a concrete plan to improve child safety and family well-being, including food insecurity. If successful, this legislation will raise the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefit. TANF is one of the few programs that exists specifically to help families with children achieve economic security through monthly assistance in addition to employment and training support. Maine’s TANF amount is the lowest in all of New England and half the benefit of New Hampshire. The current benefit level leaves Maine families far below the poverty line, putting a family of three below 35% of the Federal Poverty Level, in “deep” or “extreme” poverty.
Data from Good Shepherd Food Bank also shows that, since the pandemic, Cumberland and York counties have seen food insecurity rates grow at a much higher rate. Projections show that Somerset County has the second-highest overall rate of food insecurity and child food insecurity in the entire Northeast. Andree Kehn photo/Sun Journal
Increasing TANF benefits will provide our low-income families more financial stability and help move folks beyond mere survival. The experience of childhood poverty has long-term effects on health, economic, and social outcomes. LD 1877 passed through our Health and Human Services Committee with a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
For a state with an agricultural heritage, we often fall short of having our locally produced goods accessible to everyone at all income levels in our state. We must prioritize access to high-quality and fresh, affordable food for all Mainers — and children, in particular. That’s why I’m also proud to sponsor LD 2093, “An Act to Address Food Insecurity by Helping Maine Residents Access Locally Produced Food.”
The bill would strengthen and sustain existing programs, such as Maine Harvest Bucks and Farm Fresh Rewards, that help lower-income Mainers access fresh, locally grown food by increasing their purchasing power at farmers markets throughout the state. The bill received unanimous, bipartisan support in committee, and is now on the appropriations table awaiting funding.
Addressing child food insecurity requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. We need to build on the good work already done over the last few years. In 2021, the Legislature committed to fighting child hunger by funding free school meals for all. This ensured that Maine schools would offer school meals at no charge to any student who needs or wants them. This helped end the stigma against free school meals, and helps ensure kids have the energy they need to learn and grow.
We’ve also passed laws to create and expand the Local Foods Fund, which schools can use to purchase locally grown and produced food. This helps ensure the meals kids are eating are fresh and nutritious. Last session, we also worked with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to create a food hub capital investment grant that will result in up to 10,000 prepared meals for Mainers that are food insecure.
Maine has much work to do if we are to eliminate poverty and child hunger in our state. I will support every commonsense measure to ensure no child in our state goes hungry.
If you have any questions about the information here or would like to reach out with a comment, question or concern, you can reach out to me any time. You can follow me on Facebook at Facebook.com/IngwersenForMaine or on Instagram at @senhenryingwersen for more frequent updates. You can also sign up for my email newsletter at mainesenate.org.
Henry Ingwersen represents Senate District 32 which is made up of Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis and Lyman. He can be reached at Henry.Ingwersen@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.
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