KINGFIELD—Last month, Kingfield Elementary
School (KES) donated more than 880 food items collected during its food drive
to Mt. Abram Regional Health Center’s food pantry. 25 students in grades one
through eight contributed more than 12 boxes and bags of food to the health
center in December. KES also donated collected food to the United Methodist
Economic Ministry in Salem, which also has a food pantry.
The donation is part of the school’s larger initiative to
teach students about the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, one of
which is to confront
food insecurity. Johanna Prince, Principal of KES, shared that first,
second and eighth grade students partnered to think about ways to reduce hunger
locally alongside the school’s efforts to teach students about resource
awareness and community involvement.
“It was a great experience for the kids to see the health
center and learn about what we do here. We are hoping this is the beginning of
a larger collaboration with the school,” Shannon Munro, family nurse
practitioner at the practice, said.
Mt. Abram’s food pantry is available to patients of the
practice, as well as community members at large.
Mt. Abram
Regional Health Center is part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a
system of eleven Federally Qualified Health Centers in Central and Western
Maine. Dedicated providers deliver high-quality medical and behavioral
healthcare to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access to
everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare and major insurances. In
addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to uninsured and underinsured
residents as well as assistance with applications for programs that help with
the cost of healthcare and medications, including the Health Insurance
Marketplace.
A
private non-profit with a 45-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient
fees, grants and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award
totaling $4,580,070 with 82.5 percent financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the
official views of, nor are an endorsement by, the HRSA, HHS or the U.S.
Government.
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