YORK, Maine - The funding cuts that resulted in the sudden closure of Food Rescue of York County this week are part of changes designed to get food aid to more Mainers more efficiently.
That's according to John Bott at Maine's Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Bott says federal funding that the department administers had been going to a variety of agencies that provide food to food pantries. But under the latest contract, Good Shepherd food bank will handle the distribution statewide.
"They have a network in place that will improve efficiency," Bott says, "and ultimately result in more food being disbursed. With these changes, food pantries should be unaffected."
But at least some food pantry operators are concerned; Carol Davis of Old Orchard Beach Community Food Pantry says Food Rescue charged significantly less for its monthly food delivery than does Good Shepherd.
"We would get a truck load of food every month; $150 a year covered that," Davis says. "We're going to miss the food, there's no doubt about that. It's a good amount of food, it sometimes tided us over."
Food Rescue distributed food to more than 45 food pantries and meal programs.
