PRYMCA’s Callaway represents Full Plate Full Potential
Photo courtesy of PRYMCA
FULL PLATES LEAD TO FULL POTENTIAL — Regional YMCA Healthy Project Coordinator Erin Callaway, Piscataquis (back row, second from the left), recently visited Washington, D.C. to meet with the state’s congressional delegation along with Full Plates Full Potential, a collaboration working to end child hunger in Maine.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week a delegation from Full Plate Full Potential, an organization working to end child hunger in Maine, traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit with the state’s congressional leaders. Erin Callaway, the coordinator of the Piscataquis Regional YMCA’s Healthy Community Project and a member of the collaboration, was there to discuss several projects including her work in Piscataquis County.
The group met with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Congressman Bruce Poliquin, Sen. Angus King and Sen. Susan Collins. According to Callaway the chance to talk in person to the congressional delegation was very important. “Maine has the third highest rate of very low food security ‚Ä“ the federal term for hunger — in the nation, where one in four Maine children live in food insecure homes and almost half of all Maine’s school age children are eligible for free and reduced priced meals,” she said. “These are issues that are important for Maine’s future and all of the Congressional delegation was interested in hearing what we had to say.”
In Piscataquis County, Callaway reports that 61 percent of the 2,600 children enrolled in school are eligible for free or reduced price lunches; only one of our nine schools falls below 50 percent and the highest rate tops 90 percent in the Milo-area.
Full Plates Full Potential is a group of anti-hunger advocates and food service directors collaborating to end childhood hunger in Maine. Collectively, their initiative includes state agency representatives, the statewide food bank, school foodservice directors, anti-hunger advocates and the business community. They have worked on several projects including a partnership to increase participation in school breakfast by facilitating a breakfast challenge potentially impacting 12,000 students; leading a collaboration in Gray to begin a summer food program that served 4,600 meals in 2015; the group also highlighted Callaway’s work for the PRYMCA to increase access to healthy food in Piscataquis County especially a recent meeting to raise local awareness about the USDA’s Summer Food Program. More than 30 people representing local schools, churches, small businesses, service providers and community organizations attended and learned how they can help promote summer meals and create more meal sites.
The group spoke to the congressional delegation about several aspects of the Senate version of childhood nutrition reauthorization and how it can support their work of ending childhood hunger in Maine. Besides Callaway, the Full Plates Full Potential group included Jan Bindas-Tenney and Joanie Klayman, from Preble Street; Clara Whitney, Good Shepherd Food Bank; Sonja Carvahlo and Christine Wood with Catholic Charities, Maine; Ron Adams, Martha Spencer, Jeanne Riley, and Dave Roberts with Maine School Nutrition Association; Amy Bacon, RSU 15; and Whitney Strout, York schools.
The PRYMCA’s Healthy Community Project is supported by the Maine Health Access Foundation. It is a multi-year project focusing on increasing access to healthy food in Piscataquis County by building and strengthening existing networks and increasing the capacity of organizations across the county.
The PRYMCA is a cause-driven organization that is committed to the community and dedicated to promoting healthy spirit, mind, and body for all, through programs and services grounded in Christian heritage and the core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Anyone interested in the Healthy Community Project or any of the programs or services of the PRYMCA, or who wants to make a donation, can call the 564-7111, stop by 48 Park Street in Dover-Foxcroft or visit www.prymca.org.