AUBURN – Good Shepherd Food-Bank invites the public to join in celebrating the first anniversary of the food mobile at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the food bank, 3121 Hotel Road.

Jon Paradise, governmental and public affairs manager for Maine’s Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, will be the guest speaker. He will present the food bank with a check to support efforts in getting food to underserved areas and to help increase the distribution capabilities of food pantries throughout each county in Maine.

In October, 2005, a refurbished beverage truck, donated by Federal Distributors of Lewiston, turned into a mobile food pantry and made its maiden voyage to the Saco Food Pantry with more than 7,000 pounds of food.

To date, the state’s first food mobile has been used to deliver more than 300,000 pounds of food to needy people statewide, making deliveries to food pantries and soup kitchens and helping reduce the number of trips that food pantries have to make to Good Shepherd’s Auburn or Brewer facilities.

Good Shepherd Food-Bank is one of Maine’s largest social service organizations, serving more than 550 nonprofit agencies throughout the state. Agencies receiving support include food pantries, soup kitchens, group and foster homes, homeless and abuse shelters, drug and alcohol recovery centers, services for the elderly, after-school programs and underprivileged kid’s camps.

Each month, more than 70,000 Mainers are fed through the networking of the partner agencies. Hannaford Supermarkets continues to be the major food donor for the organization, as well as for the food mobile.

“Maine’s Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger represents supporters in every community in Maine.” said Rick Small, executive director of Good Shepherd. “Their collaborative efforts have made them leaders in making this initiative a reality. We are thankful for their partnership in support of our mission to feeding hungry people in Maine.”

At 2 p.m. the food mobile will revisit the Saco Food Pantry to make another distribution of food. Refreshments will be served. Call JoAn Chartier at 782-3554, ext. 27, for more information.