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Kids who have nutritious meals are healthier overall and succeed more at academics and social skills, that's obvious, but it bears repeating as we are increasingly concerned about the federal administration's funding cuts that will bring hardship to Maine communities. The USDA's canceled contracts for food for schools and food pantries, for example, comes at a time when at least one in eight Mainers are hungry, including some 45,000 children (about 20% of Maine people under 18). Maine leads New England in food insecurity, and there is hunger right here in Scarborough, too. That's why Project GRACE sponsors food drives, helps families and seniors with groceries, invests in community gardens growing nutritious food, meets the needs of students with gifts like a new 'micro pantry' at the high school. All of this and more is part of our "Feeding our Neighbors" priority to improve access to quality food for people in our community who struggle with the basics: food, clothing, heat, healthcare. Also just this week the Town reported pauses on federal funding for two USDOT grants and one Dept. of Energy grant, alongside its concern for the status of funding for the Child Care Subsidy Program, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, Medicare payments for EMA services, and key funds for the School Department's special education and nutrition programs. We appreciate the Town Manager for his careful monitoring of these and other potential impacts to municipal funding. The Town e-news is one way to stay "in the know". Go to: https://www.scarboroughmaine.org/stay-connected/town-e-newsletter.   As we look forward to the return of Spring and events like Maine Maple Sunday, we'll be hosting a pop-up "pancakes & more" food drive this Saturday (10-Noon) at 25 Plaza Drive, Oak Hill. Bring pancake mix & syrup, instant oatmeal, PB&J, fruit cups, breakfast bars, non-perishables for the pantry. Grocery gift cards are also needed. Thank you!  Have you heard? Maine Trust for Local News ends print publication of the Scarborough Leader and will switch to digital only editions. We are deeply disappointed by this decision, as the Leader is where we find out what's going on around town, and where we share Project GRACE news, too.
We aren't alone: as noted in the March 15th Town e-news, a "2023 community survey found that 76% of respondents used the Scarborough Leader newspaper as their primary source Town of Scarborough information..." While we can still find the Leader online, we encourage our friends and neighbors to visit our social media and to stay "in the know" by subscribing to the Town Newsletter published on the 1st & 15th of the month. |
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