EqualityMaine Foundation awarded a $12,500 grant from Maine Council on Aging through Hannaford Supermarket’s Connection, Health and Equity Through Food (CHEF) program

May 18, 2024

Portland, Maine – EqualityMaine Foundation was the recipient of a $12,500 grant from Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) through Hannaford Supermarket’s Connection, Health and Equity Through Food (CHEF) program. CHEF was launched in 2023 to improve the health and well-being of diverse older adults through greater access to food and social connection.

With this grant funding, EqualityMaine’s Network for Older Adults is excited to launch a monthly Bangor Luncheon as well as a recently added monthly gathering in Ellsworth. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ older adults in these areas will have increased access to community and food through monthly meals, which are being funded in part through the CHEF grant. 

The Network for Older Adults Coordinator, Izzy Ostrowski, is overjoyed about the program’s expansion over the last several months. 

“We are thrilled that Network for Older Adults programming is expanding and increasing opportunities for connection and community amongst LGBTQ+ older adults living in Maine. We are excited to continue cultivating and supporting spaces where older adults in the community can show up as themselves. Expanding our monthly gatherings to Ellsworth and Bangor is an exciting step toward the goal of having these meals be more accessible to communities throughout the state.” 

CHEF was launched with a $1.3 million donation to Maine Council on Aging from Hannaford on December 12, 2023, under the banner of Hannaford’s “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative. The CHEF program funds organizations and projects in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York, that are supporting the needs of diverse older adults – including improving access to food and increasing opportunities for socialization.

Hannaford introduced Eat Well, Be Well in September 2022 to help break down the barriers that challenge access to healthy, nutritious food and wellness resources. Hannaford has donated nearly $3 million to organizations under the Eat Well, Be Well banner.To learn more about the overall impact of the CHEF program, view the video.