Hannaford Supermarkets, the state’s largest grocery store chain and one of its largest employers, has donated $1.3 million to the Maine Council on Aging to improve access to food and increase opportunities for socialization.

The money will create a grant program, called Connection, Health and Equity Through Food (CHEF), for organizations and projects that support the needs of older adults.

Hannaford announced the donation this week at the Equality Community Center in Portland.

“As a grocery retailer, we understand the pivotal role that food plays in our overall wellness. And we know older adults face unique challenges when it comes to physical and mental health,” said Mike Vail, president of Hannaford Supermarkets.

The Maine Council on Aging oversees more than 135 organizations and businesses in Maine and also leads the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging, a network of thousands of professionals and volunteers across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The new initiative will allow the collaborative to expand to Massachusetts and New York. Hannaford operates 187 stores throughout the five states.

“In longevity studies all across the world, connection, belonging and inclusion are the words that drive health and long life,” Maine Council on Aging Executive Director Jess Maurer said. “Food is one of the biggest human connectors there is. The act of sitting down for a meal, with just one other person, is an act of being seen and acknowledged.”

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