When I launched this campaign for Governor, I laid out five priorities that would guide our vision for the state: feeding kids, fixing housing, funding health care, fueling our economy, and fighting back when Washington hurts Maine families. I chose “feeding kids” first for a reason: one of the most basic responsibilities of government and society is to make sure children have the support they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
Governors have a moral obligation to make ending childhood hunger a top priority. Childhood hunger is not inevitable, and it is not a problem too large for us to solve. We have the resources, the tools, and the ability to act if we choose to make this a priority.
Here is a statistic that should stop everyone in their tracks: one in five Maine children lives in a food-insecure household. This is the highest rate of child food insecurity in New England, and it is unacceptable. No parent should have to wonder where their child’s next meal is coming from, and no child should go to school hungry.
Throughout my career, I have seen firsthand that good health begins long before someone walks into a doctor’s office or a hospital. Healthy and successful lives cannot happen without proper nutrition. Hunger affects nearly every part of a child’s life, from their physical health, mental health, ability to learn in school, academic success, and their long-term outcomes. If we are serious about improving health, supporting families, and creating opportunity, we have to start by making sure children have enough to eat.
My vision for Maine is simple: a state where no child and no family go hungry. A state where every child, regardless of where they live or what challenges their family may be facing, can count on healthy food and the chance to thrive. This plan lays out how we can get there together.
-Dr. Nirav Shah
Executive Summary:
- Invest in Maine Kids Now: Make a targeted, emergency investment using Maine’s rainy day fund to confront childhood hunger and get resources to communities with the greatest need.
- Maine Food for Maine Kids: Building on existing programs to put more Maine-grown and Maine-made food on the plates of Maine children while supporting farmers, fishermen, and small businesses.
- Shore Up SNAP and Connect Families to Support: Make it easier for eligible families to access nutrition programs and defend critical food assistance from federal cuts.
- End Summer Hunger and Close Gaps Outside the School Day: Expand summer meals, weekend food programs, and rural access solutions so children have reliable food year-round.
- Fight Back Against Policies That Push Families Behind: Address the broader affordability challenges driving food insecurity and protect Maine families from harmful federal actions.
Protect Maine Kids Now: Emergency Investment Using Maine’s Rainy Day Fund
One in five Maine children lives in a food-insecure household. This is unacceptable. Childhood hunger affecting tens of thousands of Maine kids is a crisis that demands action. Maine should use the rainy day fund which exists to help people through moments of crisis, as a way to provide emergency funding to fight hunger. As Governor, I will make a targeted investment to confront this crisis head-on and ensure Maine families across all communities have the resources they need to feed their children today while building long-term solutions to food insecurity.
As Governor, I will:
- Dedicate a targeted portion of Maine’s Budget Stabilization Fund toward a statewide initiative to combat childhood hunger, treating food insecurity as the urgent crisis it is and ensuring resources are directed toward communities with the greatest need.
- Establish targeted grant programs for school districts and communities with the highest child food insecurity rates so local leaders have flexible resources to address challenges unique to their regions.
- Expand support for school pantry, backpack, and weekend meal programs that provide food directly to children and families facing ongoing food insecurity outside traditional school meal hours.
- Inspired by the effectiveness of Meals on Wheels, support innovative ideas to deliver food to rural parts of Maine where geography and distance often make food access more difficult.
Maine Food for Maine Kids
Maine has a history of leading the nation on childhood nutrition. In 2021, we pioneered universal free school meals, ensuring that every K-12 student in a public school has access to free breakfast and lunch, thereby eliminating the stigma and financial barriers of the cafeteria line. Furthermore, through the Department of Education’s Local Foods Fund, Maine established a structural mechanism to provide matching funds to schools that source ingredients directly from Maine producers.
But today, the Local Foods Fund remains underutilized. More family farms and local fishermen could participate in the program if some of the procurement bureaucracy were relaxed.
No child in our state should be hungry while Maine farmers, fishermen, and food producers struggle to find markets for their products. We can solve multiple challenges at once by putting more Maine-grown and Maine-made food on the plates of Maine children. As outlined in my small business plan, government purchasing should invest in local businesses and strengthen local economies.
As Governor, I will:
- Expand Maine’s farm-to-school and fish-to-school programs to ensure more schools can serve fresh, healthy foods grown and harvested right here in Maine.
- Increase state support and purchasing opportunities for Maine farmers, fisheries, food processors, and small producers so local businesses have greater access to stable markets.
- Expand programs that assist schools with offsetting the cost of purchasing local food, making it easier for school districts to participate.
- Improve utilization of the Local Food Fund by reducing procurement barriers and simplify contracting processes so smaller businesses and family-owned producers are not shut out of the programs by bureaucracy.
Shore Up SNAP and Connect Families to the Support They Need
Too many Maine families who qualify for food assistance face unnecessary barriers, complicated processes, or simply do not know that help is available to them. The state should make it as easy as possible for families to access existing programs. As Governor, I will work to strengthen nutrition programs and ensure all eligible families can access support with dignity and ease.
As Governor, I will:
- Direct the Department of Health and Human Services to use “Express Lane Eligibility” to automatically cross-enroll eligible children into applicable assistance programs. Simplifying application, eligibility, and renewal processes means that families spend less time navigating paperwork and more time getting the support they need.
- Improve coordination among SNAP, MaineCare, child care programs, and other services so families can access assistance through a more streamlined system.
- Partner with schools, pediatricians, child care providers, and trusted community organizations to connect more eligible families with available resources proactively.
- Expand outreach efforts and language access support for immigrant communities, rural families, and underserved populations to ensure all eligible families can access benefits.
- Fight back against federal efforts to weaken SNAP or reduce benefits and advocate for policies that recognize the important role nutrition assistance plays in helping families and children stay healthy and stable.
End Summer Hunger and Close Gaps Outside the School Day
For many children across Maine, school breakfast and lunch provide the most reliable meals they receive all week. But we know that hunger does not stop when the school day ends, and it can become a more severe issue over summer vacation. We must ensure children have access to healthy food year-round regardless of where they live.
As Governor, I will:
- Expand access to summer meal programs and maximize participation in federal summer nutrition programs so families receive support even when school is out of session.
- Increase support for backpack and weekend meal initiatives that provide children with food outside school hours and help bridge gaps when school meals are not accessible.
- Expand mobile meal sites and community-based food delivery options designed specifically for rural communities and hard-to-reach populations.
- Work with schools, municipalities, and local organizations to identify geographic gaps in service and ensure resources are targeted where needs are greatest.
Fight Back Against Policies That Push Maine Families Further Behind
Food insecurity does not happen in a vacuum. Families struggle to put food on the table when housing costs rise, wages fail to keep up, health care becomes unaffordable, and Washington makes life harder instead of easier. During the pandemic, I saw firsthand how economic hardship, health challenges, and food insecurity often compounded one another. Ending childhood hunger means standing up for Maine families and confronting the policies that create hardship in the first place.
As Governor, I will:
- Fight federal efforts to cut SNAP, school meal programs, and nutrition supports that Maine families depend on.
- Work across state agencies to ensure childhood hunger reduction remains a statewide priority, not an issue isolated to one department.
- Coordinate with other states, local partners, and advocates to defend nutrition programs and respond when federal actions threaten support for Maine families.
- Prioritize state-level investments and policy solutions whenever federal decisions create gaps that put children at risk.
- Establish clear statewide goals and public reporting measures so Maine can track progress toward reducing childhood hunger and hold itself accountable.
- Continue lowering costs through improving affordability, including reducing housing, health care, and energy costs that strain family food budgets