AUBURN – Emerson Toyota of Auburn recently became a transportation partner of Good Shepherd Food-Bank by donating a 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE.

Given the fact that Good Shepherd is a statewide organization, it will help save on travel budgets. The food bank staff will utilize the vehicle when traveling to monitor its partner agencies throughout Maine, visit food and financial donors, attend speaking engagements, awareness building and educational events, as well as other work-related meetings statewide.

The detailing of the van with decals and logos was donated by Spugnardi Signs of Turner.

The food bank operates on a budget of $1.9 million and partners with more than 100 food donors and more than 580 nonprofit agencies that are serving the children, elderly or needy in Maine. The food bank is able to provide more than $12.50 in food to agencies for every dollar donated or saved.

Development Director Michelle Gosselin said, “We are so grateful to be recipients of this generous gift from Emerson Toyota. We appreciate that Emerson’s management group realizes that there are many creative ways to help us stretch our budget and ultimately help get more food to more people.”

The food bank is Maine’s largest hunger relief organization, helping food pantries, homeless and abuse shelters, soup kitchens, drug and alcohol rehabs, after-school kid’s programs and special programs for the elderly and shut-ins. Nearly 10 million pounds of food was distributed in 2006 to feed more than 70,000 people each month.

To learn more on how to help, visit www.gsfb.org.