Representatives from Maine’s credit unions gathered Tuesday at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport for the 2016 Ending Hunger Campaign Results Celebration Luncheon.

Maine Credit Union League
Maine Credit Union League
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At this annual event, credit unions are recognized for raising funds for the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger. The official total for 2016 was $674,193, a new fundraising milestone.

The funds will help to purchase more than 2.7 million meals for hungry Mariners.

“The generosity of the more than 680,000 credit union members in Maine is extraordinary,” explained John Murphy, President/CEO of the Maine Credit Union League. “Hunger affects communities in many ways, however, credit unions use it as a chance to change lives and put forth the credit union philosophy of people helping people.”

The luncheon featured an address by Jessica Buchanan, author of the New York Times best-selling book, Impossible Odds. In October 2011, while on a routine, humanitarian mission to help children in Somalia, Buchanan was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali land pirates for 93 days. Jessica was imprisoned outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters. In January 2012, the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six heroically parachuted into the desert and successfully rescued her, along with her colleague. Her kidnapping and dramatic rescue will also be made into a feature film by Clint Eastwood. Buchanan shared her harrowing experience and her belief in helping others, despite her experience with attendees.

Buchanan called being part of the announcement "truly inspirational.  I applaud the efforts of you stepping up to help those in need."

Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised $7.2 million. All contributions to the campaign are tax-deductible.

Founded in 1938, the Maine Credit Union League is the State Trade Association for Maine’s 58 credit unions with 680,000 members, providing a variety of services and products to assist credit unions in meeting the needs of their membership.  For more information, visit MaineCUL.org

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