BELFAST — Food insecurity was the topic of this year’s Community Forum presented in Belfast, April 4, by Building Communities for Children, Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, and Waldo County General Hospital.

The well-attended workshop engaged representatives of area nonprofits as well as government agents and concerned citizens, according to a news release.

Keynote speaker Megan Taft, with Maine’s Good Shepherd Food Bank, urged participants to look beyond the immediate task of providing food for those who need it, and seek out wider connections in addressing the problem.

“You can’t end hunger by just providing food,” she told the audience. “Food insecurity is inextricably linked to other areas of poverty.”

Citing inelastic costs like heating and health care, the 2008 recession from which the state has never recovered, high rates of underemployment and seasonal employment, and SNAP benefit cuts, Taft said the choice for some has become one of food or rent.

Waldo County Sheriff Jeff Trafton was a panelist. He said he sees a lot of people who don’t have enough to eat. The County’s Reentry Center 17-acre garden is projected to produce 150,000 pounds of fresh produce this summer, providing for food pantries and civic organizations all over Waldo County.

“Prison destroys self-esteem in most everybody,” he said.

Trafton encourages residents at the center to take pride in their work and step before TV cameras to get deserved recognition.

Panelist and school nurse Ellie Weaver said kids come in hungry, some without having had a warm, safe place to sleep.

“We’re sending out dozens of backpacks with food for the family,” she said. “Still, some of these kids are really hungry when they come to school, and keep coming back for snacks after the meal. They crave attention and security, too.”

Reaching people who are food insecure has many obstacles, the most difficult to address being the stigma of admitting to their poverty, according to those in the “Addressing Barriers to Local Food Access,” breakout session.

As a solution, addressing the “us” versus “them” divide could be met with the vision of artists. Writers, visual and performing artists could engage in a campaign to raise awareness of individuals suffering with food insecurity.

Another participant suggested that a message he’d like to send out to those who could benefit from food pantry services is to “Put pride aside” and accept food donations without shame.

A lack of transportation was also cited as a reason why families cannot always access food available.

Organizer Denise Pendleton hinted that next year’s community forum may be on this topic.

For more information about this year’s Community Forum and follow up action steps, or to sign up to receive information about next year, contact Wesley Neff at wesley.neff@maine.edu.