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Hunger in Maine is a persistent problem with food insecurity in the Pine Tree States significantly higher than the national average. In Maine, 10 percent of people — and, worse, one in seven children — face hunger, according to Feeding America.
There is a relatively new way for Mainers to help ease this persistent problem. When filing your state tax forms this year, you can check a box to donate money to a hunger relief fund. An emergency food assistance fund is one of eight charitable checkoffs on Schedule CP, which accompanies the state’s standard 1040ME tax form. The form allows a portion — or all — of a person’s tax refund to be directed to one or several of these funds.
The checkoff is the result of legislation passed by lawmakers in 2021. You can also donate to funds that benefit children, military members, veterans, public libraries, wildlife, and companion pets, or to support childhood cancer research.
The minimum contribution is $5 and you can donate to multiple funds. You can also use your state income tax refund to purchase state park passes through Schedule CP.
Money collected through the Emergency Food Assistance Program checkoff will go toward a program run by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Food pantries and other emergency food providers can apply for assistance from the fund.
“Hunger and food insecurity carries an immense stigma. It’s not something we typically like to talk about,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Maureen Terry, D-Gorham, said in testimony in March 2021.
“To me, this checkoff option is just like making dinner for a sick friend or community member in need of a little extra TLC. It provides a way for more of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity to access meals without all of the added stress and fear often associated with asking for help,” she added. Terry is a chef and former restaurant owner, who now operates a cookie company and serves on the boards of two farmers markets.
“During my 10 years in this office, I have seen increasing levels of poverty and increasing food insecurity. Of course, the pandemic has made such matters even worse,” Alan Casavant, the then-mayor of Biddeford, said in testimony in 2021 in support of the bill. “This bill represents a simple way in which individuals can assist those in need. … With so many of our neighbors struggling day to day, it is important, I think, to add new tools to the proverbial tool box to assist them in any way that we can.”
This new tool offers an easy way for Mainers to help their neighbors in need.
So, as you complete your tax forms, don’t forget to fill out Schedule CP if you’d like to donate a portion of your tax refund to the worthy cause of your choice.