State food bank accuses Millinocket ministry of forcing religion

[Maine-ah]

MILLINOCKET, Maine — Good Shepherd Food-Bank no longer distributes food via one of its Katahdin region distributors due to “compliance issues” with its contract, possibly imperiling efforts to aid laid-off paper millworkers, officials said Wednesday.

One of the region’s leading Good Shepherd distributors, ICare Ministries of Spring Street, received a letter last week in which the food bank accused the ministry of “only serving a specific religious population” and of “forcing people to attend religious services to get food from us,” ICare Pastor Herschel Hafford said.

“Neither of those statements are true,” Hafford said Wednesday.

“I am sure people in the Katahdin region know what we have done to help. ICare has been a very benevolent organization and served a lot of people . We haven’t done it on the basis of religion or attendance of any religious services,” he added.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/05/11/news/state-food-bank-cuts-relations-with-millinocket-ministry/

[inademv]

1. Would you like to learn about Jesus?

I've got a sandwich for you.

[SoCalDem]

2. If people are not fed FIRST, state funding should be yanked

I have NO problem with Church sponsored feeding centers "offering" an opportunity for people to join in their worship services, BUT if praying comes before feeding, it's blatant coercion.