Senator Collins Visits Native Maine in Westbrook to Celebrate Farmers to Families Food Box Program

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Westbrook, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins visited Native Maine Produce and Specialty Foods to meet with managers and employees and celebrate a $1.35 million contract the wholesale food distributor was recently awarded to help farmers and food insecure Mainers.  This funding Senator Collins successfully advocated for will allow Native Maine to distribute 45,000 food boxes, each holding 25 pounds of produce, to Maine food banks.  During her visit, Senator Collins joined the assembly line to help pack fruits and vegetables into boxes for distribution.  

“Growing up in Aroostook County, I saw how essential agriculture is to Maine’s economy and rural communities,” said Senator Collins, a founding member of the Senate Hunger Caucus.  “The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a severe toll on farmers and has increased food insecurity among Mainers.  The Farmers to Families Food Box program helps address this unprecedented crisis.  It was a pleasure to join Native Maine’s dedicated employees in assembling some of the 45,000 food boxes that they will distribute to Maine food banks.  Each box contains 25 pounds of fresh produce grown by Maine farmers that will help alleviate hunger for seniors and families in our communities.  I will continue to work across the aisle to ensure that Maine farmers and families have the support and resources they need to get through this difficult time.”

“Native Maine is proud to be selected by the USDA to deliver food to non-profits, like Good Shepard, in Maine through the Farmers to Families Food Box program,” said John Lunde, Vice Chairman of Native Maine.  “We greatly appreciate Maine’s Congressional Delegation and its Department of Agriculture for their support to make sure the USDA recognized the need in Maine for this program during these challenging times.”

Native Maine is partnering with food banks and anti-hunger organizations across the state to distribute food boxes, including Good Shepherd, Wayside, Youth Full Maine, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention, and My Place Teen Center.  Partners from each organization were also in attendance.

The Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which was created by Congress through COVID-19 relief packages, is supporting farmers with up to $3 billion in purchases of fresh produce, dairy, and meat and distributing these products to low-income Americans.  When no Maine distributors were initially awarded a contract, Senator Collins joined the Maine Delegation in successfully urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rectify the program’s shortcomings.

Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods is a leading New England wholesale food distributor based in Westbrook, serving businesses throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts with delivery of fresh produce, dairy, meats, and specialty foods.  Native Maine stocks more than 3,000 food products from Maine and around the globe, with a focus on stocking food from local farms across Maine.

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