Maine State Credit Union Distributes Over $90,000 To Local Hunger Organizations

March 15, 2021, Augusta, ME - Each year, Maine State Credit Union sets a goal for how much money they would like to raise for the ending hunger cause. In 2019, the goal was $85,000.  They surpassed that goal and are distributing $91,153.52 to over 25 hunger organizations in Maine. That is approximately 365,000 meals to Mainers in need.   

“When COVID hit and everything shut down, we needed to change our in-person FEEDME 5k walk, which is our largest fundraiser for ending hunger, to a virtual walk. We did not think we would be able to come close to reaching our goal,” said Tucker Cole, CEO of Maine State Credit Union. “When I heard that we beat it by such a large margin, I was in shock. The kindness and generosity of our employees, members as well as event sponsors are remarkable.”   

For the past ten years, Maine State Credit Union has held a 5k walk to end hunger at the Capitol Park in Augusta. It attracts a lot of the local hunger organizations. Many of the hunger groups that attend the event are small food pantries with only one or two people helping regularly. The Maine State CU FeedME 5k walk to end hunger is sometimes the only fund-raising event that they do all year.   

“There are a lot of hungry people in our local towns, and I am so happy that through our fund-raising efforts and kindness of our employees and members, we can provide Hope and assistance to a lot of people in need, said Stacey Dow, co-chair of the Ending Hunger Committee. “I was happy we were still able to offer the organizations a way to raise money. Many of the groups I speak with had to shift focus to helping people who were laid-off as part of COVID and could not focus on fund-raising as much as they had in past years. I am glad we can provide much-needed help to these groups.”  

The 2020 sponsors for the Feed ME 5k Walk were – Element Group, Synergent, Maine Credit Union League, GHM Insurance, TriCorp Federal Credit Union, Insurance Trust, Charlie’s Motor Mall, Stevens & Day, LLP, Cross Insurance Benefit Solutions, Workgroup Technology Partners, Cayer Security, Priority Learning, Anthem, Any bill, and WIPFLI/Mac Page.  

“I am always surprised with how many businesses we work with that are willing to support our cause,” said Mark Young, Chief Operating Officer at Maine State Credit Union. “When we had to cancel our in-person event and pivot to a virtual one, all of our sponsors were on board and happy to help in any way that they could.”  

In addition to the annual FEEDME 5k Walk, Maine State Credit Union also offers raffles and online auctions throughout the year as part of the fund-raising effort.  

The 2021 FeedME event will be a virtual challenge, where people can select to walk a 5k, 10k, half –marathon, or marathon. The event kicks off on April 24 and runs through May 31. The cost of the event is $25, and you receive a free walk t-shirt. You can register online and learn more at MaineStateCU.org/FeedME5kwalk.