Oxford Casino Raised 45000 for Three Maine Food Banks

The Results of Oxford Casino’s Year Long Campaign

According to the USDA’s Economic Research Services, in 2018, 88.9 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the year. The remaining 11.1 percent of households were food insecure at some time during the year, including 4.3 percent (5.6 million households) that had very low food security. The UMaine Extension – University of Maine states that Maine ranks 9th in the nation for food insecurity. 14.4% of Maine households are food insecure. 16% of Maine seniors and 1 in 5 children are food insecure.

A recent donation of $45,000 to three Maine food banks resulted from a year-long campaign to raise funds for food security in the state. Feed the Need, a team effort of Townsquare Media and Oxford Casino Hotel & Event Center, raised and collected donations made by guests during fundraising events throughout 2019. Jack Sours, Vice President and General Manager of Oxford Casino Hotel & Event Center said, “food insecurity is a serious problem in Maine, and particularly in Oxford Hills. Our partnership with Townsquare Media has proven that when given the opportunity, our guests step up to make a difference. I couldn’t be prouder of the substantial donations we’ve been able to collect and provide to local food pantries.” Brian Lang, Townsquare Northern New England Regional Market President, explained,”Townsquare Media is proud to partner with Oxford Casino Hotel & Event Center to help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for local non-profits. Giving back to the community is an important component of what we do.”

Karen Miller, President of Oxford Helping Hands Food Pantry was very surprised by the $15,000 she received. “You cannot imagine what a huge help this is to us and, rest assured, every penny will be put to good use. The first thing that we did was make a list of foods that we have needed to stock our shelves. We serve, on average, 35 to 40 families a week; some of these families have several children, parents or grandparents living with them. We never turn anyone away and we, as volunteers, realize the need is so great in our area. The families that we serve are our friends and neighbors. We truly try to live up to our name of, ‘Helping Hands.’”

The food pantry is located at the Oxford Town Office at 85 Pleasant Street in Oxford. They are always happy to receive donations of money, hard goods, or produce from local gardens in the summer. If anyone has an emergent food situation or would like to volunteer to help, call 207-890-5693.

The Westbrook Food Pantry serves close to 500 families during each of their 6 month periods. Families are reregistered in January and July. Jeanne Reilly, Volunteer Organizer, said, “This wonderful donation will be discussed at a special board meeting on February 6, 2020. We are looking at purchasing carts for our many walkers to carry their monthly food pickup. We plan to buy gift cards to Hannaford in April as well as November. We will certainly increase our food purchases of [things like] fish and produce.”

Food and money donations can be arranged via WestbrookFoodPantry.org, by mail or personal visits to the food bank at 426 Bridge Street, Westbrook ME 04092. A pick-up of donations can be arranged by calling 207-591-8147.

Poland Community Food Pantry serves between 95 and 125 families each month in Mechanic Falls, Poland, and Minot. They also have a pet section to assist area folks in caring for their pets. Pam August said that the donation of $15,000 will be implemented, “to help maintain our food budget, utilities, and some building maintenance we are looking to complete this year.”

To volunteer to help at Poland Community Food Pantry, call 207-240-1739. They can always use help with “food runs.” Poland accepts all kinds of donations, cash or checks. They are always in need of peanut butter, canned meats, pasta, tomato products, and taco kits. Their hours are Wednesday, 2:00pm to 5:00pm and Saturdays, 10:00am to 1:00pm.

About Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media is a media, entertainment and digital marketing solutions company that owns and operates market leading radio stations, live events and digital, mobile, video and social media properties principally focused on small and mid-sized markets. The company specializes in creating and distributing original and motivating media experiences that connect communities with content they love, people they trust, products they want and things that matter.

About Oxford Casino Hotel & Event Center
Oxford Casino opened in June, 2012 and underwent two expansions, one in October 2012 and another in December 2013 after being purchased by Churchill Downs Incorporated. The hilltop Casino added a hotel, expanded gaming area and new restaurant venue in 2017. It is located on 100 acres 40 minutes northwest of Portland in Maine’s lakes and mountains region. The property includes just under 1,000 Class III slot machines and 28 table games. It also hosts Oxford Grill, a 140 seat casual restaurant, OX Pub, a 150 seat pub style restaurant, Oxford Express, a grab-and-go restaurant, and a 12-seat, video poker bar. Further information can be found at www.oxfordcasino.com.

About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN), headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is an industry-leading racing, gaming and online entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event – The Kentucky Derby. We own and operate the largest legal online horseracing wagering platform in the U.S., through our TwinSpires business. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming with approximately 11,000 slot machines and VLTs and approximately 200 table games in eight states. In August 2018, we launched our BetAmerica Sportsbook at our two Mississippi casino properties and have announced plans to enter additional U.S. sports betting and iGaming markets. Derby City Gaming, the first historical racing machine (“HRM”) facility in Louisville, Kentucky, was opened in September 2018 with 900 HRM machines. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.

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Oxford Casino Raised 45000 Presentation for Feed the Need