Copyright Bangor Daily News
Messages poured in when Orrington baker Bethany Fraine posted online offering free bread to anyone about to lose their federal food stamps because of the month-long government shutdown: a disabled grandmother taking care of her disabled grandson, a single mother of five, an elderly woman who isn’t on benefits but still struggles to get by. Fraine, who operates The Bakehouse out of her home, typically makes about 65 loaves a week that she delivers in greater Bangor before starting her day job. Now she’s boosting her output and preparing to travel farther afield for households who have taken her up on the offer, an idea she got after seeing another business, Fresh off the Farm in Rockport, share free bags of vegetables for SNAP recipients. If there’s anything else she can do to help families beyond offering food, Fraine said, she will. “Everyone seems to be coming together in the last few days,” she said. “I think it’s hitting us that this might continue for some time.” She’s one of a growing number of businesses and people across the state that have decided to offer free or discounted food to Mainers who usually depend on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy groceries. The federal government has warned states not to expect the program to be funded in November due to the ongoing budget stalemate in Congress, which started on Oct. 1. “That’s what Maine is,” Fraine said. “We’re not every other state. We do still take care of each other.” The SNAP freeze has spurred many Mainers to step in to help — a movement small business owners said they hope to see spread and continue. It’s also highlighting existing food insecurity that predates the shutdown and will outlast it. The Trump administration has said it will not tap into the USDA’s reserves to continue SNAP benefits. An unexpected end to the shutdown this week would resolve the SNAP issue, or alternative funding could be offered through a short-term state fund. But if that doesn’t happen, nearly 170,000 Mainers will lose their SNAP benefits at least temporarily, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Three-quarters of the households getting benefits include at least one working adult, while more than a third have someone with a disability and more than a third include children, the department said. About a fifth of the residents of five Maine counties rely on the benefits: Androscoggin, Aroostook, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington. The average monthly Maine SNAP benefit for a family of four is $572, according to the state. Food pantries are trying to prepare after a year that’s already brought cuts to other USDA programs. At the same time, people are seeing an opportunity to help directly and have been met with flurries of donations and offers of support. Jayme Grandmaison, owner of the Bucksport and Ellsworth Nutrition Cafes, remembers the shame and embarrassment she felt when she waited in line at the food pantry more than a decade ago. So, last week’s warning about the suspension of SNAP benefits prompted her to offer on Facebook to help a few Bucksport-area families. Soon, 22 households had signed up. Within hours of posting it to her business page, she saw $600 in donations and offers to help her buy, cook and deliver food. Most of the people donating are one bad day away from needing help themselves, and know how it feels, Grandmaison said. Nine families have been fed so far, six of them sponsored by others. Though the SNAP freeze won’t be felt until next month, families are already struggling, she said. Grandmaison knew food insecurity was an issue, but the response surprised her. She’s also offering food that may not be available at pantries, such as berries, meat and dairy products, which she herself remembers not always being able to get at the food pantry. People on her list can have their food delivered without needing to coordinate around transportation or pantry hours, she said. Grandmaison plans to continue as long as she has resources, and is encouraging others to do what they can in their communities. “The more of us that get together, the bigger impact we’re going to make,” she said. Her project inspired Christina Crevisour-Hosmer, of Stockton Springs to offer online to help buy Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. It broke her heart to think about people not spending the holidays together because of a lack of food, Crevisour-Hosmer said. Crevisour-Hosmer and her wife don’t have much extra money, but want to do what they can. They’re considering starting a nonprofit to continue that effort for holidays, even if the shutdown ends and assistance flows again – because the need won’t go away. She’s also seen that Mainers help each other without a second thought. “I’ve lived all over the United States, and that is a really hard thing to come by,” she said. “Mainers, they take care of their own.” Several business owners emphasized that they don’t see their new programs as political action. Jeff Mitchell, who owns Family Time Dine and Play in Auburn, got his idea while picking up dinner on Friday. He asked his wife, Jen, if they could offer something similar to people who couldn’t afford it. They decided to give free pizzas from their restaurant each day to six people in need; like other Maine businesses, their announcement was met with donations and offers to help. Many have already spent their benefits for October and are looking ahead to a November without assistance, Mitchell said. With the holidays ahead, it’s more difficult to stretch a budget. The Mitchells expect the need to increase — messages requesting pizzas are already ramping up — and he sees other local restaurants starting to offer similar programs. Even retail businesses can contribute funds, he said. “From what we’re seeing, if one person can help another that’s great, or influence a person to want to help people,” he said. In Ellsworth, chef Daron Goldstein was also thinking this weekend about what his business, Provender Kitchen and Bar, could do. “Nobody should be hungry, period,” he said. “Not doing something was not an option.” After initially planning to offer free prepared meals from the restaurant all month, he decided to distribute them through the local Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry for the sake of efficiency. Goldstein started on Monday with 50 prepared meals and is ready to make more as time and resources allow, he said. Calls are already coming in from people wanting to help. As a business owner, he sees giving back to the community as a reciprocal relationship. “We’re going to see what communities are made of right now, and who’s going to be doing what in times like this,” he said.
