Action Alert: Food Donation Tax Legislation

Good News! The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the America Gives More Act of 2015, which expands the charitable tax deduction that businesses currently receive to farmers, so they can also reap the benefit of donating surplus food to charity organizations. It also makes the deduction permanent, so businesses will not longer have to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing whether the deduction will be extended again and again. Now the Senate needs to consider the bill.

We need your help to make sure the America Gives More Act becomes law!

Feeding America is circulating a sign-on letter that they will send to the Senate Finance Committee. Good Shepherd Food Bank has signed on and we urge you to do the same. You can read the letter here and sign on here.

As you can see, other states are well represented on this letter. We would like Maine organizations to show our support, too.

This legislation will benefit Maine farmers by allowing them to claim a tax deduction for food donations made to hunger relief agencies. It will benefit our network by encouraging additional donations from growers across the state. Now is the time to act to ensure this bill is passed!

The FoodKeeper Brochure is Available as a Mobile App!

Introducing The FoodKeeper Mobile App 
The FoodKeeper was originally published as a brochure in 1994, then updated in 2002 and 2014.  Agency Services staff often brings it on visits with partners as it provides valuable food storage advice to help pantries and soup kitchens understand the shelf-life of food for the best freshness and quality. The guide was created through the work of the Food Marketing Institute, Cornell University’s Department of Food Science, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Now it's available as a mobile app!

This new app is available to download in the Apple Store or from Google Play!  Click HERE for more information on how to download!