Local community group Preble Avenue is launching a new $8 million foodstuff safety hub in South Portland in an exertion to stop meals insecurity in Maine.
The new middle will be found at 75 Darling Ave. in South Portland. When accomplished in 2023, the 30,000 sq. foot combined-use area will purpose as an industrial kitchen area, foods processing center, instructional and vocational web page, place of work space and convention center.
Preble Avenue has obtained preliminary funding for the $8 million challenge from various corporations, like the Portland-centered John T. Gorman Basis, Maine’s third-largest charitable foundation, according to the Mainebiz E book of Lists. The foundation presented a gift of $1 million, half of which has a matching necessity. Preble Street is searching to raise an supplemental $500,000 to satisfy that obstacle and protected these resources.
“Throughout the pandemic, Preble Street and other companies have performed an outstanding task of not only meeting a radically enhanced need to have for meals help but also employing new approaches to get to people today and ease entry,” explained Tony Cipollone, president and CEO of the John T. Gorman Foundation. “This new Foodstuff Protection Hub is poised to establish on that momentum, producing it achievable to present significant-high quality and culturally-appropriate foods to even extra people and foster collaboration among the organizations working together to handle this important want.
A critical companion in this exertion is Excellent Shepherd Foodstuff Bank, which resources and distributes foodstuff to more than 500 group-dependent corporations doing the job statewide to improve obtain to wholesome food items for Mainers experiencing hunger. Good Shepherd will provide “to-go” food choices.
The Hannaford Charitable Foundation is also a vital supporter of the Meals Security Hub.
Other at this time fully commited associates include things like the Locker Undertaking, which will utilize the Meals Safety Hub to supply obtain to healthful food items at 34 public schools, and Cumberland County Foods Stability Council, which facilitates collaborative action towards a sustainable foodstuff program.
Once done, the Preble Street Food items Safety Hub will present an industrial kitchen area with the place and machines needed to successfully create a big volume of nutritious meals, a food processing center to maximize entry to wholesome fruits and vegetables year-spherical and mitigate waste, as very well as a meeting middle and office environment house to host research efforts, conversations, and functions about ending starvation in Maine.
Courtesy picture
Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Avenue
Stage One of this challenge is underway and Preble Avenue Food stuff Plans, which has operated at 252 Oxford St. in Portland since 1993, relocated to 75 Darling Ave. in South Portland in mid-November. Preble Street’s Food items Pantry is temporarily functioning at 14 Portland St. in Portland.
“Our eyesight for this Food items Security Hub is to scale up Preble Street’s ability to feed extra folks in Maine although delivering a way to bring anti-hunger and social justice companies together beneath one particular roof to deal with meals stability and meals justice,” said Mark Swann, executive director, Preble Road.
Preble Road, established in 1975 as a community middle for homeless and lower-money residents. hopes to get some funding from the American Rescue Prepare Act funding, but also requires to elevate private pounds.
