Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X V I I A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 20 K risten Maile points excitedly to the small stack of boxed Backyard Farms tomatoes left in the refrigerator case at day's end, noting that in the morning the boxes of food stretched from floor to ceiling. "ey're our third-largest donor," Maile enthuses, adding that Hannaford is first and Walmart is second, with the two each contributing millions of pounds of food annually. As energetic outside of work as she is at work, Maile enjoys running, reading and cooking. As we walk through the 53,000-square-foot warehouse in Auburn, past box after box filled with dented cans and foods near or past their expiration date — all of which need to be sorted into food groups — Maile relates stories of food insecurity in Maine, of the thousands of children and adults that go hungry each day and by necessity get creative in preparing even the most meager meals. "I heard about two people talking in a food pantry about eating pet food, and one said it tasted better on saltines than on Ritz crackers," she says, shaking her head. "It's sad that conversation ever had to take place." A 2014 study by Good Shepherd Food-Bank and Feeding America found that one in seven Mainers, or some 178,000 people, turn to Maine food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families. e food crisis hit closest to home for Maile when she first became the food bank's president and discovered some of her own staff went to a food pantry after work to get their own food. She says that now, every hourly employee makes more than 50% above minimum wage. Maile pulls a can out of a box and runs her finger carefully over the edge of a dent. "is one is good. If the dent has a point, we have to throw it out." at's because the point could signal a food safety issue. e food bank rejects about 15% of food it gets, but that generally goes to pig farmers. She adds that the majority of food that comes in would otherwise end up in landfills. e food bank also gets some pet food and personal care products. Feeding thousands Good Shepherd Food-Bank, founded in 1981, is Maine's largest food provider and part of Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. e Good Shepherd Food-Bank handles 23 million Feeding the hungry B y L o r i V a l i g r a N O N P RO F I T Kristen Maile President Good Shepherd Food-Bank Good Shepherd Food-Bank 3121 Hotel Road, Auburn Founded: 1981 President: Kristen Maile Service: Hunger relief and food distribution Employees: 62 (mostly full-time) Revenue (2014): $35 million Contact: www.gsfb.org 782-3554 C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2 » Kristen Maile, president of Good Shepherd Food-Bank, Maine's largest food provider. She's pictured in the food bank's Auburn warehouse. P H O T O / W I L L I A M T R E VA S K I S

• Cover