YORK, Maine Hannaford Supermarkets recently announced its stores have achieved a long-term sustainability goal: sending no food waste to landfills.
With 183 stores across New York and New England, including 63 in Maine, hitting that goal meant keeping 65 million pounds of food from going to landfills in 2020, according to the company. When we first established this goal, it was with the greater purpose of making a real and positive impact on our communities, said Hannaford Supermarkets President Mike Vail. Eliminating hunger and food waste are essential to improving the world we live in.”
What that means for local social service agencies in York County is that food that is safe to eat, but may no longer be suitable for sale, has been provided to hunger relief organizations like the York Community Services Association.
Maine food pantries scramble to keep up as need reaches new heights There is a desperate need out there, says the executive director of the Biddeford Food Pantry, which has seen a 25% increase in clients since this time last year.
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Phil Dube, center, works to organize the food before the recipients arrive and place their orders at the South Portland Food Cupboard on Thursday. Dube has been volunteering at the food pantry for several years.
Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
The number of Mainers struggling to feed their families and turning to food pantries for help is rising to new heights as coronavirus cases spike and the state faces its worst loss of jobs in any recession in 50 years.