2012 Annual Membership Meeting

January 19, 2012

In the past year, we’ve brought workers, farmers and other Mainers together to stand up when worker rights and sustainable, local economies were threatened. On Monday, January 23 from 5:30-8:00pm we’re coming together for our Annual Membership Meeting.

What: Food AND Medicine Annual Meeting

When: Monday, January 23, 2012, 6:00-8:00pm

What if it snows? Snow date Thursday, Jan. 26 2012, 6:00-8:00pm

Where: Solidarity Center, 20 Ivers St. Brewer, ME

RSVP to Martin at 989-5860 or fam@foodandmedicine.org. A homecooked dinner will be served. Some great cooks have volunteered already, but we still need more! Please let us know if you can bring or help prepare food for the dinner.

We are heading in to challenging times. Our governor and legislature are proposing legislation that would erode basic worker rights like collective bargaining and Workers’ Compensation. They are cutting programs for the unemployed and working poor just when Mainers need them most. It’s important to have you at the Annual Meeting so we can hear from you about what issues affect you and how we can create solutions together. There will be a time for discussion, planning and strategizing, and also a time for celebration of what we have accomplished and the amazing members who’ve made it possible.

RSVP to Martin at 989-5860 or fam@foodandmedicine.org and let us know if you can make it on the 23rd. Click here for an outline of the meeting’s agenda.

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Speaking up for unemployment insurance

December 12, 2011

Support Extending UI for Maine’s workers!

Click here to see media coverage of our December 8 Forum on Unemployment!

Brothers and Sisters,

On December 8th, the Eastern Maine Labor Council, Food AND Medicine, the Maine AFL-CIO and the National AFL-CIO sponsored a forum on just how important unemployment benefits are for laid off workers. If Congress fails to act over 5,000 Mainers will lose this lifeline support come January first.

Please contact Senator’s Snowe and Collins to urge them to support laid off workers and extent UI, with no strings attached.

Please contact Sen. Snowe at 202-224-5344 in DC or 945-0432 for the Bangor office. Sen. Collin’s numbers at 202-224-2523 or in Bangor at 945-0417. This aid is needed by workers who have both earned it and are now without work through no fault of their own.

I want to thank the following people who played such a critical role in making the December 8th happen. Rev. Mark Doty from Hammond Street Congregational Church facilitated the whole forum. IBEW 1253 member Tim Bickworth eloquently spoke of the issues of looking for work. Summer Allen from Valentine Footwear spoke of the importance of gaining the support of UI which allowed her to open a great shoe store on Main Street Bangor (Next to Penobscot Theater- and yes, that was a plug). IBEW 1253 member Scott Cuddy and Lawrence Reichard both gave compelling stories of the importance of the UI system. Kevin Holmes really brought home the role of the big banks in creating this whole mess. Rev. Becky Gunn from Bangor Unitarian Universalist brought a strong and clear message. Bill Murphy rounded out event with the historical context.

On the strength and clarity of what these people said, the media couldn’t help but report the event, which gained incredible coverage- all three network shows, Maine Public Radio, Bangor Daily news, five Cumulus stations and WERU.

I’d also like to thank Sarah Bigney and Barbara Niccoli-Hiltz who helped organize the event.

Please remember those looking for work, while we go through these holidays which for some will be real hard times.

In Solidarity,
Jack McKay

Click here to see media coverage of our December 8 Forum on Unemployment!

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Do you know an unemployed worker?

December 7, 2011

And if you do know an unemployed worker, will you take a bit of time to help them out? 5,200 Maine workers will lose unemployment aid on Jan. 1 unless Congress acts now! Please join us for a roundtable discussion about the importance of Unemployment Benefits. Afterwards, we will go to our Senators’ offices to [...]

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Solidarity Harvest a huge success!

November 20, 2011

With the help of over 100 dedicated volunteers, we have sourced 500 Thanksgiving baskets of vegetables, apple cider, rolls, butter, turkey and stuffing for families out of work and facing other economic hardships. As much as possible, all food came from local farms and businesses. We are grateful to the many volunteers and donors who [...]

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Food AND Medicine Supports Occupy Bangor

November 20, 2011

Food AND Medicine has made the following statement of support for Occupy Bangor: Food AND Medicine has worked since 2002 for a just economy in which nobody is forced to choose between food, medicine and other basic necessities. We organize to make Eastern Maine a livable region for all by building a grassroots movement of [...]

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Solidarity Harvest 2011

October 21, 2011

Thanksgiving is now less than three weeks away. That means that as this year’s Solidarity Harvest Coordinator, I am at the point of gathering together all the wonderful volunteers who make this event happen. Solidarity Harvest is an annual project coordinated by Food AND Medicine and the Eastern Maine Labor Council that brings local foods [...]

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Great showing at Child Care hearing!

September 16, 2011

Thanks to all who joined us in Augusta on Tuesday or sent testimony to DHHS about Child Care Subsidy Program. Food AND Medicine members were a big part of what we’ve heard was one of the largest turnouts seen at a CCSP rulemaking hearing! We made sure the Administrators heard testimony from parents who want [...]

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It’s time for you to stand up for quality child care!

September 2, 2011

On Tuesday, September 13th, DHHS will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to the rules of the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP – sometimes called “voucher program”), and we hope that you will be there with us to speak up for rules that work and make quality child care accessible. If you cannot make [...]

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Benefit Auction for Solidarity Harvest

July 18, 2011

On Friday August 12, Food AND Medicine will be hosting our second annual Benefit Auction to support the Solidarity Harvest. Since 2003, Food AND Medicine’s Solidarity Harvest has brought healthy, local food to laid-off workers and other families facing hard times during the Thanksgiving season. Join us to bid on over 100 great items donated [...]

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Great press on Saturday’s Workers’ Forum

June 16, 2011

The Maine Workers’ Forum on Jobs, which we organized in collaboration with the Eastern Maine Labor Council, brought more than 125 workers to Brewer Auditorium last Saturday to hear from labor movement leaders and tell our governor and legislators that they need to listen to workers. Take a look at this Bangor Daily News coverage [...]

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