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Portland, Maine

UNE aims to tackle food insecurity in Maine by packing 50,000 meals on Sept. 12

Graphic of Maine state outline with a fork and knife and the words "Meals for Maine"
UNE is just one of 10 schools nationwide to receive funding to support the meal-kit initiative.

Maine is ranked first in New England and sixth in the nation for citizens facing food insecurity. To combat this pervasive health problem, the University of New England is bringing together students, faculty, and community members to its Portland Campus in September to assemble 50,000 nonperishable meal kits for individuals across Maine who are at risk of hunger.

The event, dubbed “Meals for Maine,” is being held as part of national September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance events taking place across the country in an effort to bring people together in the spirit of service and memory of the 9/11 terror attacks. Meals for Maine will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Girard Innovation Hall on UNE’s Portland Campus.

UNE is just one of 10 schools nationwide to receive funding to support the meal-kit initiative from the 9/11 National Day of Service organization, The Pack Shack’s “Feed the Funnel” Grant Program, AmeriCorps, and MyGoodDeed.

The event aims to inspire students, faculty members, and administrators to make a difference in their communities and engage in meaningful service-learning opportunities in support of the University’s mission of improve the health of people and communities.

The Office of Service Learning in UNE’s Westbrook College of Health Professions (WCHP) and Portland Campus Student Life hope to bring together 250 volunteers to assemble the meal kits, which will be distributed across Maine with a focus on reaching older adults, children, immigrant and refugee families, and other vulnerable groups.

“When someone doesn’t have enough food or can only afford foods with low nutritional value, their health and quality of life can be seriously impacted,” remarked Trisha Mason, M.A., director of the WCHP Office of Service Learning. “As a health professions institution, UNE is taking a leadership role in providing education, awareness, exposure, and engagement for our students in creating a positive impact in our community around this critical public health issue.”

As a learning opportunity for UNE’s health professions students, “Meals for Maine” will feature online educational programming. Additionally, Mason said she hopes to host the event annually, “putting UNE at the forefront of tackling food insecurity from a public health perspective” and supporting the state’s legislative action to end hunger in Maine by 2030.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.