Accesstofoodisa basichumanright. Ourchildren,our future,deserve nothingless. Director of RSU23 Food Services
- Caroline Trinder
ADVOCACYINACTION
Reflections on FPFP’s 10 Year Anniversary - a new tipping point
When we started Full Plates in 2015, our goal wasn’t to build another nonprofit it was to solve a problem. The food insecurity crisis was at a tipping point for Maine kids, and something needed to be done.
Ten years later, we ’ ve made progress. Thanks to School Meals for All, which was spearheaded by Full Plates, more kids are eating breakfast and lunch at school than ever before. For many, these are the healthiest meals they get all day.
school does. That’s why we ’ ve always funded and prioritized out-of-school-time programs, like summer meals, especially in rural areas, by making summer meal sites more welcoming with added services for families and activities for kids.
Now we ’ re at another turning point this time driven by federal policy changes. Cuts to SNAP (food stamps) and new rules for federal nutrition programs will have a chain reaction.
Families who lose SNAP,
work requirements or because the state can’t cover the cost, will also lose automatic eligibility for free school meals. This will mean more paperwork for schools, lower federal reimbursements, and fewer kids fed.
The impact will go beyond hunger. SNAP dollars keep grocery stores open, especially in rural towns. Without them, we’ll see both food access and local economies decline. This moment calls for more than food donations and communication with our elected leaders it calls for a coordinated, statewide response that connects nonprofits and government.
Full Plates is built for this.
We are nimble, trusted, and connected from state agencies to community programs. Our team is recognized nationally for its expertise in federal nutrition programs, and we ’ re ready to act when these cuts take effect.
The issue may be complex, but our belief is simple: every child deserves to eat. Every meal. Every day.
As Full Plates marks this milestone, we remain committed to the work and to honoring John’s legacy. In Maine, we take care of each other. That’s what Full Plates is all about.
Yours,
Justin Alfond Co-founder, Treasurer
Diane Woods for John Woods {deceased}, Cofounder Board Member
FULLPLATESFULLPOTENTIAL BOARDMEMBERS
LauraPineo
ChairoftheBoard
FormerSchoolNutritionDirector
JulieButcherPezzino ViceChair
ExecutiveDirector,Children’s Museum&TheatreofMaine
JustinAlfond Treasurer&Co-founder Entrepreneur,Activist& Philanthropist
JeanneLaPointe SchoolNutritionDirector, RSU10
KevinConcannon
ChelseyCarrier Secretary Attorney&Mediator
DavidPease DirectorofTalent,Diversity& Inclusion,BangorSavingsBank
DianeWoods BusinessManagement Consultant
ErickaDodgeKatz Dir.ofExternalCommunications &CommunityRelations, HannafordSupermarkets
FormerUSDAUnderSecretary FNCS KhadijaAhmed Entrepreneur,Chef,& Nonprofitfounder MollyClark Co-owner, ColdSpringRanch RyanParker Impact&PartnershipsLeadMaine,FoodCorps
StephanieCesario-DeBiasi ProgramOfficer,Maine CommunityFoundation
JohnWoods Co-founder 1963-2021 InMemoriam:
Grantmaking in Fiscal Year 2025
Full Plates directly supports child nutrition providers through our grantmaking. Over the past ten years, we have granted over $4.7 million dollars throughout Maine. Our financial resources are paired with support from staff to make sure child nutrition providers receive the holistic assistance they need. As state and federal funding shifts, we anticipate an even greater need for our grants to support programs with their basic needs. Our grantmaking funds equipment, training, resource development, pilot projects of best practices, and much more!
USDASCHOOLFOODSYSTEM INNOVATIONGRANT
InMarch2023,FullPlateswasawardedacooperative agreementwiththeUSDAtoadministertheSchoolFood SystemInnovationGrants.We’veawarded$7.4million tosevenprojectsthroughoutthatstatethatarefocused onhelpingschoolsovercomebarrierstopurchasing Maine-basedfoods,aswellasanadditional$1.1million toimprovefarm-to-schoolandculinaryskillstraining opportunitiesacrossthestate.
This year work began in earnest for our USDA grant recipients. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association’s project held a taste test for students at Kate Furbish Elementary School in Brunswick. Many students tried fish for the first time and found the fish cakes and fish tots delicious!
Elementary school students in Somerset County will soon be tasting the fruits of their labor in school meals. Students planted over 400 seedlings, which were then transplanted, tended, and harvested by inmates at the Somerset County Jail. This fall, the produce will come full circle, appearing on school menus.
In Skowhegan, The Good Crust has been hard at work developing “ grow your own pizza kits” which were distributed during Maine School Garden Day. The Good Crust’s pizza dough has been making regular appearances on school menus and will be in even more cafeterias this fall.
To learn more, visit fullplates.org/schoolfood-systemtransformationchallenge.
THEGRANTEES:
In anticipation of potential action by the federal government, Full Plates Full Potential drew down the entirety of the USDA cooperative agreement funding in January 2025. These funds are in our accounts, and our work on the USDA cooperative agreement will continue uninterrupted.
As part of our cooperative agreement, Full Plates is responsible for sharing the stories of our grantees. We’re excited to announce that we have begun production on a documentary that will eventually be aired on Maine Public Television, and possibly nationwide through the PBS network. Our documentary will share the story of local food in Maine schools and serve as an inspiration for other states looking to make their school meals and local economies better.
Lunchroom Revolution follows the journeys of four recipients of USDA-funded grants from the Maine nonprofit, Full Plates Full Potential. Full Plates Full Potential is the state’s leading anti-hunger organization working to improve the lives of Maine’s kids, and was awarded a $10 million cooperative agreement through the USDA. These sub-recipients were chosen for their projects designed to get more local foods into school meals.
TENYEARSOFFULLPLATES
Founded in 2015, Full Plates has been making a difference for Maine kids for over 10 years.
In just ten years, Full Plates has invested over $4.7 million dollars in grant funding across the state and helped to pass landmark legislation including Maine School Meals for All. It’s no coincidence that, in that time, childhood food insecurity has fallen from 23% to 16% a milestone worth celebrating, and a reminder that there’s more work ahead.
Full Plates’ grants awarded by county since FY 2016
Total Awarded: $4,779,502
MAINEYOUTH FOODCOUNCIL
Elevating youth voice and choice in Maine’s food system
MYFC visits the Maine Statehouse
Now in its second year, the Maine Youth Food Council (MYFC) is lifting up the voices of young people to address food insecurity. Led by Kirsten Tenney, Full Plates’ Community Engagement Manager, the 2024-2025 council convened 12 high school students from across the state. Together, they shared the impacts of food insecurity in their school communities and learned about advocacy efforts to combat the state’s hunger crisis.
Council members conducted projects in their schools to reduce food waste, increase student participation in school meals, and grow more local produce for the school kitchen. MYFC also became part of the broader Maine Network of Community Food Councils, adding their perspectives to the larger conversation about food security in our state.
MYFCSTUDENTSPOTLIGHTS
Ketia, a member of MYFC and the launched a "snack cart initiative" to ensure all students can enjoy a snack as they leave in the afterno project thrived through creative collaboration, making it both succ and sustainable.
This group didn’t stop there. From to the end of the school year, they Extended breakfast hours & a locations at BHS (grab-and-go Started free snack cart distrib the afternoon
Organized a school-wide Ment Awareness Week in January Attended the USM Safer Schoo Planned a Mind and Body Wel
WHEREDOYOUR DONATIONSGO?
How your giving helps to end child hunger in Maine
Kids, families, communities, local economies, and our state benefit in the long run when everyone has the food they need to thrive.
There is a hunger crisis in our state, and the day-to-day need for food assistance will not go away on its own. There needs to be a leader driving permanent solutions.
That leader is us.
While Full Plates does not purchase, cook, or distribute food what we do has an impact far beyond a daily meal. Our work impacts a lifetime. We work to maximize the effectiveness of existing federal child nutrition programs school meals, SNAP, and other programs because they are the most effective tool for eliminating childhood food insecurity.
We make this happen through advocacy for pragmatic policies, financial support for program operation, and expert technical assistance for navigating program complexities.
Your donation goes to building a better future for Maine’s kids.
Full Plates relies on the generosity of individuals, through annual donations and planned giving, and on the support of Maine’s community-focused businesses.
To become a part of our success, please visit fullplates.org/donateonline, or contact Erica Forsyth, Development Director, at eforsyth@fullplates.org.
Thank you!
FINANCIALOVERVIEW
Income
Individual Giving:
$459,707.06
Institutional Giving:
$485,096.19
Government Funding:
$1,492,843.19
Interest Income:
$121,879.89
Cause Marketing:
$41,928.65
Fiscal Sponsorship: $32,868.18
In-Kind Donations: $34,907.50
Reserves:
$237,763.15
Other: $2,741.06
Expenses
Non-USDA Direct Grantmaking:
$436,558.12
USDA Subrecipient Grants: $1,371,332.17
Programs:
$613,570.48
Administration: $191,449.28
Fundraising: $263,956.64
Fiscal Sponsorship: $32,868.18
INCOME
$2,909,734
EXPENSES
$2,909,734
YearinReview
Curious how Full Plates kept busy during FY 2425? Scan the QR code and watch our year-inreview video.
SNAP is one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in the nation. Scan the QR code to learn more about why SNAP matters to the people of Maine.
ProtectingMaineSchool MealsforAll
Dozens of School Nutrition Professionals from across the state traveled to Augusta this year to support Maine School Meals for All. Scan the QR code to hear directly from our School Lunch Heroes.
MEETOURTEAM
Our small but mighty team working to end childhood hunger in Maine.
Anna Korsen
Deputy Director
Anna directs and oversees Full Plates advocacy and programs. She lives in Portland with her husband and son, and can often be found exploring Portland’s many trails with her furry companion, Flora.
Chelsea manages Full Plates’ summer and out of school meal time initiatives and supports the team with data collection and evaluation. Chelsea lives in Camden with her partner and their three guinea pigs.
Colleen Frawley
Advocacy Manager
Colleen supports Full Plates system change and advocacy agenda. She lives in Boothbay with her two teenage children and when not on the bleachers or sidelines, enjoys reading on the beach.
Daniel guides Full Plates’ storytelling efforts across its website, design, newsletters, media, and videos. He lives in Topsham with his wife and son, who are nervously watching him try to learn basic carpentry. They won’t set foot inside anything he’s built just yet, which even he agrees is probably for the best.
Erica Forsyth
Erica secures funding for Full Plates through individual giving, corporate philanthropy, and foundations. She lives in Portland with her partner and kids, and can often be found running and getting muddy on the trails.
Chelsea Marshall
Program Manager
Daniel Schechtman Communications Manager
Finn manages the Full Plates grant programs and a cooperative agreement with USDA focused on getting more local foods into school meals. Finn is slowly but surely becoming a birder, and is okay with it.
Janet Fournier
Finance Manager
Janet supports Full Plates Team's finances, reporting, and audits. Based in Brunswick, she’s a Mom and Grammie who enjoys all things outdoors. Her greatest joy is spending peaceful days at her Western Maine camp, journaling, reading, swimming and paddling on the pond.
Justin serves as the leader of Full Plates, driving strategy and carrying out our mission alongside partners, donors, and communities. He lives in Brunswick with his wife and two rambunctious boys who love school meals and, sometimes, his cooking.
Keirstin Read
Development Relationship Manager
Keirstin secures funding for Full Plates through business giving, corporate philanthropy, and events. Keirstin lives in Portland with her husband and loves exploring Maine’s ever expanding food scene.
Kirsten engages the community, facilitates the Maine Youth Food Council, and manages our SNAP Outreach Contract. She lives in coastal Washington County with her family and can be found on a lobster boat in her “free” time.
Robin Kerber Associate Program Director
Robin leads our implementation efforts through technical assistance, supporting Child Nutrition Consultants and the School Nutrition Advisory Group. She is passionate about connecting schools to local food and increasing scratch cooking.
Finn Madden
Grants Manager
Justin Strasburger
Executive Director
Kirsten Tenney
Community Engagement Manager