BINGHAM — An Auburn-based food pantry that distributes food to rural parts of the state through a truck that houses a mini food pantry will visit the Bingham Area Health Center on Friday.

The goal of the Good Shepherd Food Bank Food Mobile program is to expand hunger relief in the state to Maine’s neediest and most under-served communities, according to a press release from the health center.

The truck will distribute about 7,000 pounds of food to people in the area, including both perishable and nonperishable items. Anyone in need of assistance getting food is invited to attend. The truck will be outside the health center from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, according to the release.

Louise Carl, who runs the Bingham Area Food Pantry, said she had been hoping to connect with Good Shepherd about bringing more food to the local food pantry. The pantry, which is in the rectory of St. Peter’s Catholic Church but is not affiliated with the church, serves people in Bingham, Moxie Gore, The Forks, West Forks, Pleasant Ridge, Concord, Caratunk and Moscow.

“I hope to see how we can connect with them. I’d like to be able to get some stuff from them for the food pantry,” Carl said.

Getting food to the hungry can be a challenge in northern Somerset County because there’s so much ground to cover.

“It’s a vast area and the people who need it most are in the outskirts,” she said.

The food mobile program started in 2012 and consists of two trucks that have made 120 stops around the state, according to the Good Shepherd website. About 670,000 pounds of food have been distributed.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368 | rohm@centralmaine.com


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