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Maine is ranked first in New England and sixth in the nation for citizens facing food insecurity. To combat this pervasive health problem, the 51Ʒ�� is bringing together students, faculty, and community members to its Portland Campus in September to assemble 50,000 nonperishable meal kits for individuals across Maine who are at risk of hunger.

The event, dubbed “Meals for Maine,” is being held as part of national September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance events taking place across the country in an effort to bring people together in the spirit of service and memory of the 9/11 terror attacks. Meals for Maine will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Girard Innovation Hall on UNE’s Portland Campus.

51Ʒ��is just one of 10 schools nationwide to receive funding to support the meal-kit initiative from the organization, The , AmeriCorps, and MyGoodDeed.

The event aims to inspire students, faculty members, and administrators to make a difference in their communities and engage in meaningful service-learning opportunities in support of the University’s mission of improve the health of people and communities.

The Office of Service Learning in UNE’s Westbrook College of Health Professions (WCHP) and Portland Campus Student Life hope to bring together 250 volunteers to assemble the meal kits, which will be distributed across Maine with a focus on reaching older adults, children, immigrant and refugee families, and other vulnerable groups.

“When someone doesn’t have enough food or can only afford foods with low nutritional value, their health and quality of life can be seriously impacted,” remarked Trisha Mason, M.A., director of the WCHP Office of Service Learning. “As a health professions institution, 51Ʒ��is taking a leadership role in providing education, awareness, exposure, and engagement for our students in creating a positive impact in our community around this critical public health issue.”

As a learning opportunity for UNE’s health professions students, “Meals for Maine” will feature online educational programming. Additionally, Mason said she hopes to host the event annually, “putting 51Ʒ��at the forefront of tackling food insecurity from a public health perspective” and supporting the state’s legislative action .