At the TramutoPorter Foundation, we believe the world is made better not just by people doing great things, but by people and organizations taking small actions that have the capacity to drive great change.

It’s in that spirit that Tramuto Foundation partnered with Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine to help support the construction of a cold storage facility that will allow hungry Mainers to access fresh, nutritious, produce and foods — including Maine-grown products.

Despite the economic recovery, 16.4 percent of households in Maine today are food-insecure. That’s higher than the national average of 12.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Good Shepherd Food Bank partners with more than 400 local organizations, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, and senior centers to distribute food to the state’s most vulnerable residents. In total last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 28 million pounds of food to its partner agencies.

This organization has an ambitious goal to ensure that all food-insecure Mainers will have access to the nutritious food they need to thrive, when and where they need it by 2025. The single greatest obstacle to meeting that goal is the limited cold storage capacity and location of its existing Auburn-based distribution center. While hunger exists in every corner of the state, northern and Downeast Maine residents struggle with particularly high rates of food insecurity. The Food Bank is currently renovating its facility in Hampden to complement its existing infrastructure in Auburn. Once complete, the Hampden facility will feature three state-of-the-art temperature and humidity controlled zones which will allow for short- and long-term cold storage of produce and dairy, and a freezer for storing lightly processed produce, fish, meat and other perishable products.

GSFB president, Kristen Miale recently expressed her appreciation.

“We are pleased to have Tramuto Foundation as a partner in this transformational approach to addressing hunger in Maine,” she said. “Our new cold storage facility in Hampden will give us the capacity we need to source, store, and distribute nourishing, fresh food–-including local farm purchases—efficiently and equitably across the entire state. Increasing access to nutritious food will have a dramatic impact on the health of our neighbors. An investment in our work is an investment in Maine’s future. We are grateful for the Tramuto Foundation’s confidence and support.”

For Donato, the ability of Maine’s largest hunger-relief organization to provide nutritious, locally grown produce to vulnerable residents is closely aligned with the mission of the Tramuto Foundation. Donato believes in working together with partners to improve the health and well-being of people here at home and across the world.