KINGFIELD—Last month, Kingfield Elementary School (KES) donated more than 880 food items collected during its food drive to Mt. Abram Regional Health Center’s food pantry. 25 students in grades one through eight contributed more than 12 boxes and bags of food to the health center in December. KES also donated collected food to the United Methodist Economic Ministry in Salem, which also has a food pantry.

The donation is part of the school’s larger initiative to teach students about the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, one of which is to confront food insecurity. Johanna Prince, Principal of KES, shared that first, second and eighth grade students partnered to think about ways to reduce hunger locally alongside the school’s efforts to teach students about resource awareness and community involvement.

“It was a great experience for the kids to see the health center and learn about what we do here. We are hoping this is the beginning of a larger collaboration with the school,” Shannon Munro, family nurse practitioner at the practice, said.

Mt. Abram’s food pantry is available to patients of the practice, as well as community members at large.

Mt. Abram Regional Health Center is part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a system of eleven Federally Qualified Health Centers in Central and Western Maine. Dedicated providers deliver high-quality medical and behavioral healthcare to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access to everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare and major insurances. In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to uninsured and underinsured residents as well as assistance with applications for programs that help with the cost of healthcare and medications, including the Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 45-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,580,070 with 82.5 percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor are an endorsement by, the HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.