A recent article, reported by the Bangor Daily News and carried in the Sun Journal, presented some of the challenges that Good Shepherd Food-Bank faces in providing food for many thousands of hungry Maine families every day (July 5).

However, the reporter unfortunately chose to focus on complaints from a few organizations rather than put the spotlight where it belongs — on the serious problem of hunger in Maine.

As the only statewide hunger relief organization in Maine, we gather food and distribute it to more than 600 partner organizations throughout every county in the state.

We have three distribution centers — in Auburn, Portland and Brewer — and we share a warehouse with Catholic Charities in Caribou. In order to provide 12 million pounds of food annually to our partner organizations, we operate a fleet of nine trucks that are on the road daily, transporting food to every corner of the state.

While it takes a significant amount of expertise, money and hard work to run this increasingly complex organization, our mission — to feed Maine’s hungry — has not changed since the day we were founded by JoAnn Pike, 30 years ago.

The food we distribute comes from two primary sources — salvage products that are donated and food we purchase. Agencies pay a shared maintenance fee of 16 cents per pound for most salvage products. This fee has not risen in five years. This nominal shared maintenance fee is meant to help offset the many costs associated with acquiring, warehousing and distributing salvage food. 

However, as the amount of salvage collected from retail stores decreases due to their increased efficiency and other factors beyond our control, we have had to increase the amount of food we purchase.

Purchased products are not a revenue stream for the food bank. We buy basic foods needed by our partners, such as canned tuna, at prices well below retail and then pass those savings on to our partners. In fact, our average charge for purchased products is well below $1 per pound, not the $2 a pound figure cited in the article.

Several categories of products are given away free of charge, including all fresh produce, bakery items and bottled water. Last year we also gave out 350,000 pounds of local food purchased from Maine farms.

We do understand the frustration of our partner food pantries that are struggling to meet the increasing demand for emergency food. We share their frustration.

We wish that we could supply free food for all Mainers who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We are saddened that one in five Maine children are not getting the food they need. And despite the incredible generosity of our donors, we are troubled that these funds are still not enough to feed the 200,000 Mainers who go hungry every day.

As for our relationship with ICare ministries, while it is unfortunate that we had to end this partnership, we are grateful that other organizations in the Katahdin region have stepped up to serve the community. Our termination of ICare Ministries has in no way diminished our commitment to the people of Millinocket, and we continue to devote significant resources to the area through our partners and our Food Mobile program.

The standards we uphold with our partners — used throughout the Feeding America network of food banks across the country — concern critical areas such as food safety and diminishing barriers that may stand in the way of people in need of food. We have these standards because both our donors and the people we serve deserve them.

Finally, the article mentions that I am the sister-in-law of Good Shepherd Food-Bank CEO Rick Small, and many readers got the impression that I, not Rick, am being paid a salary of $70,000 a year. As board chairwoman, I receive no salary and have recused myself from all votes directly concerning our CEO. His salary is far less than the average food bank leader’s salary in New England, which in 2009 was more than $93,000.

It is our goal, as it has been for 30 years, to feed the hungry in Maine through a network of local hunger-relief organizations that provide access to safe, nutritious and dependable emergency food. No one organization alone can feed Maine’s 200,000 food-insecure individuals, but together, as a network of dedicated staff, volunteers and generous donors, we can eliminate hunger in our state.

Diane Dunton is chairwoman of the board of directors of Good Shepherd Food-Bank.