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On Tuesday, November 28, the 16th Annual Maine Credit Unions’ Ending Hunger Walking and Awareness Tour came to its conclusion with a special ceremony at Changing Seasons FCU in Hampden. Brenda Davis, one of Maine’s leading ending hunger advocates, has spent nearly five weeks traveling across the state to focus attention on the severity of hunger in Maine. Davis collected stories about hunger while on the road and shared some of her experiences at the ceremony.
“For me, this year’s Tour was the most gratifying in the sense that we are really connecting and involving more people than ever in the issue of hunger in Maine. What I’ve heard from food pantries and clients who use them is that the struggle continues but the effort of Maine’s credit unions and others is making an impact, both in terms of financial but also awareness. That’s what it’s going to take – a community to solve this problem of hunger,” said Davis upon finishing this year’s Tour.
The Tour is a partnership between Maine’s credit unions and Davis to build awareness about the problem of hunger and homelessness in Maine during the month of November, which has been designated as National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Month.
This year’s Tour concluded with a contribution from the Maine Credit Union’s Campaign for Ending Hunger for $1,600, a figure commemorating the Tour’s 16th year, which is just a portion of the record-breaking $675,000 that was raised in 2016 campaign.
“Maine’s credit unions are committed to this cause because it exemplifies the spirit and philosophy of credit unions. ‘People helping people’ isn’t just about financial services, it’s about lending a hand to help the communities in which they serve,” stated Jon Paradise, Vice President of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Maine CU League.
The 16th Annual Walking and Awareness Tour covered more than 1,600 miles, with visits to a record-setting 91 communities covering all of Maine’s 16 counties. At each of the 97 credit union branches Davis visited, she received a contribution from the Campaign as a way to support her cause. A food pantry in each community received a contribution, as well. In all, The Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger contributed nearly $30,000 to help end hunger through the Tour.
Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised over $7.2 million to help end hunger in Maine.