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Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger faces unique challenges this year. Normal credit union and chapter fundraising opportunities are limited, and most of our traditional fundraising events are canceled or postponed. And yet, with over 138,000 Mainers filing jobless claims since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, our communities need our help more than ever before. Families who were food secure only a few months ago now are struggling to put food on the table.
At the same time, costs for food banks are skyrocketing. Organizations like Good Shepherd Food Bank are seeing far fewer food donations, forcing them to purchase food they usually would receive for no or very low cost. With the spike in food, labor, and other operational costs, Good Shepherd Food Bank’s annual operating budget has increased from $1.5 million to over $6 million.
So how do we meet this heightened need when our traditional fundraising capabilities are at a minimum?
The $100,000 Challenge
Maine’s credit unions will be running a $100,000 Challenge between now and July 4. To kick off this Challenge, Synergent, the League’s service subsidiary, has pledged $100,000 to the Campaign for Ending Hunger, all of which will go to Good Shepherd Food Bank. We are running this initiative as a matching challenge, with the goal of raising an additional $100,000—and hopefully even more—before the Challenge ends on July 4.
Meeting the Challenge
- League and Synergent employees already can participate in a payroll deduction to benefit the Campaign for Ending Hunger. We are challenging our employees not participating in this program to do so, and those participating to increase their weekly donation. The League is encouraging credit unions that have a similar payroll deduction program to reach out to their employees with the same challenge.
- The League is hoping Maine’s credit unions can encourage their members to make online donations on the Campaign for Ending Hunger website. When members make a donation, they can select their credit union, which ensures that 75% of their donation will be directed to hunger organizations in their communities. The remaining 25% will go to Good Shepherd Food Bank.
- Maine’s credit unions, their employees, and their members also can help spread the word through social media and other means by sending people to the Campaign for Ending Hunger website.
- Synergent is approaching its vendors and partners about making contributions to the Challenge. We are asking credit unions to consider doing the same with their own vendors and partners.
Challenge Resources
To help our credit unions succeed, the League has developed a variety of resources they can use for fundraising, in messaging, with social media, etc. All of these resources are posted on the League’s website. If there is any other way the League can help you promote the initiative, please reach out to Jen Burke, League Public Affairs & Communications Manager, at jburke@mainecul.org, or Tim Brooks, League Vice President of Corporate Marketing & Communications, at tbrooks@mainecul.org.
A Message of Inspiration from Good Shepherd Food Bank
“We are regularly surveying food pantries, meal sites, schools, and other hunger-relief partners to understand the challenges they are facing and any gaps in service,” said Kristen Miale, President of Good Shepherd Food Bank. “When asked if they are seeing an increased need, 47% responded they are seeing demand rise at every distribution. With retail donations declining, the Food Bank must purchase more items and costs are steadily rising. Fundraisers like these are vital to our operations.”