DOVER-FOXCROFT – At a time when more people in the Penquis region are requesting assistance to help feed their families, local food cupboard operators are faced with a shortfall in federal aid funds.

Last year, the four local food cupboards received a total of $12,285 in federal funds, but had to request an additional $4,000 in state funds to feed the hungry, according to Pastor Thomas Bruce of the Living Word Assembly of God Church in Dover-Foxcroft, volunteer coordinator.

This year, the region received $9,791 in federal funds, not nearly enough to cover an area that has one of the state’s highest poverty rates and a high unemployment rate, according to Bruce.

He has already made a request for state funds to help augment this year’s loss and hopes the general public and organizations will once again help with donations.

Bruce hopes to convince Piscataquis County commissioners later this month to take over the distribution of state and federal funds for the local food cupboards.

“They have the ears of the government and they know the strings they can pull and I’m hoping they’ll pull some [to get additional funds],” Bruce said.

Local volunteers do not have time to write grants, which could be an avenue to get more funds, he said.

The switch to the commissioners also will eliminate what he believes is a conflict of interest between his involvement as fund coordinator and his role in the Living Word Community Food Cupboard.

Bruce said he has always tried to be fair and divided the funds among the cupboards based on the number of families they served and the services they provided.

Although no one has objected, he would like to eliminate that conflict.

Bruce said his cupboard alone feeds 433 families in the southern Penquis region, from Brownville to Charleston to Abbot.

“All we do is, we help fill in the gaps,” Bruce said. Although there may be a handful of residents who abuse the program, the majority are extremely thankful for the support, he noted.

“I’ve had people grab me by the arms and pull me aside and immensely thank me for the food,” he said.