Full Plates Full Potential began operating in 2015. In the last 10 years, food insecurity rates for children in Maine have declined overall, but have been back on the rise since 2021.The nonprofit’s annual impact report highlights ways it is trying to keep the numbers down. However, executive director Justin Strasburger says cuts to federal programs such as SNAP and Medicaid are making it challenging.”The more barriers you put, the more challenging you make it for families to access resources,” Strasburger said. “It’s going to make it harder and harder for families to put food on the table. And our charitable food infrastructure, our food banks and food pantries are already stretched thin and are already seeing big upticks in need.”Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it would stop creating Household Food Security reports for the nation, calling the survey “redundant, costly,” and “politicized”. Full Plates Full Potential collects its own data for Maine, and Strasburger says they are brainstorming ways they can ramp up that data collection.”This is really about the future of Maine, the oldest state in the country. If we want to have a future, we need to make sure we’re investing in our families and our children to make sure that our children are well prepared and, and have the resources they need to succeed. That starts with food,” Strasburger said.Despite the challenges, this year is the first year they have been able to distribute the USDA School Food System Innovation Grants. That money helps connect organizations such as schools to local food sources. One recipient was the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, which helped fund their program to bring fresh seafood dishes to Maine classrooms, allowing students to try new foods.Over the past 10 years, Full Plates Full Potential has given out more than $4.7 million in grant money. According to the impact report, food insecurity for youth has dropped from 23% to 16% in the past 10 years.