All of us need to know about hunger here in Maine. One in 10 Mainers are unhoused and often without food. I want to try and reach into all our hearts to find some empathy for those poor and hungry who must live on the streets. Help me change our ratings.

One of the bigger problems we face in Maine is people just driving by someone in need without giving them a second glance. We need to give a little help so one day maybe all the unhoused children and families can live safely with all the food they can eat.

The Good Shepherd Food Bank has said that in Maine, an estimated 68,950 children, or nearly 25% of children under the age of 18, are struggling with hunger. Hunger has become an epidemic in our state. These statistics prove that we should help the people in our state to lower the hunger rate in Maine; it’s time to make a change.

There really are a number of ways all of us can help, like giving a few dollars, volunteering at a shelter, donating non-perishable food, helping the unhoused get to a safe place when bad weather is coming, and supporting the building of new shelters. Every act of kindness counts.

I hope that we can help to make this everyone’s cause. Together, we can help the streets of Maine be a place with happy people who don’t need to worry about hunger.

Fiona Bishop
Grade 6 student, The Center for Teaching and Learning
Edgecomb