Two University of Southern Maine Graduate students on a quest to end food insecurity for the children of Maine.

PORTLAND, Maine, March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Two University of Southern Maine (USM) students, Jordan O’Hearn and Timothy Sprague, both final year Masters of Leadership Studies (MLS) graduate students, have conceived a creative plan to help the 60,000 + children in Maine living with food insecurity after learning that Maine has the highest rate of child hunger in New England.

Jordan O’Hearn, a decorated combat veteran and retired Navy Chief as well as USM alumnus, and Timothy Sprague, a USM alumnus and Maine native, teamed up to fight child food insecurity after being introduced to the Locker Project (http://mainelockerproject.org/) during one of their courses. Food security is defined as having the ability to reliably access nutritious food. Scientific evidence proves that children who lack access to nutritious food suffer academically due to increased behavior problems, increased absenteeism, and lowered learning capacity. Locker Project, partnering with the Good Shepherd Food Bank and local businesses, manages pantries in schools so that children can take home nourishing food at night and on the weekends.

With the $1000.00 grant Jordan and Tim were awarded to help solve food insecurity, these two students decided to ask for help. Knowing that individuals in this country will always help when asked, Jordan and Tim are utilizing the power of mass media and social networks to bring awareness to Maine’s food insecurity problem. A GoFundMe page has been established with the hopes of raising enough in donations to establish a pantry in EVERY Maine school so that NO CHILD will go hungry.

One-hundred percent of the donations will go directly to the non-profit organization of the Locker Project and other child hunger programs throughout the state of Maine. Donors can feel comfortable knowing their donations are being wisely spent to help provide nutritious food to school children. Accordingly, updates of the funds raised and project successes will be continually updated on the Locker Project’s website.

The GoFundMe crowdfunding event lasts for 30-days and will end on April 27. You can donate to this worthy cause by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/LockerProject. For additional information on the Locker Project, please visit http://mainelockerproject.org.

Please help Jordan and Tim achieve their goal of ending food insecurity for the children of Maine by donating now at https://www.gofundme.com/LockerProject!