MFC Partner Winter Updates

Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative:

Brunswick Topsham Land Trust: 

Cooperative Development Initiative:

  • CDI participated as a presenter in MFC’s December Farm Labor Roundtable, sharing information about the potential value and structure of cooperatives as a tool to address the current farm labor shortage while supporting farm workers.

  • The Cooperative Development Institute is looking at ways to help farmworkers come together to get matched up with farms in need of specific types of workers. PLEASE take 5-7 minutes to complete THIS SHORT SURVEY to help CDI assess your needs as a farmer and the relevance of this project in our state of Maine. Please pass this onto any other farmers that you think might be interested in this project or have needs for farm labor.

  • CDI and Cooperative Maine Business Alliance just released a new video: Local Food in Cooperation!  It shares the stories of New Roots Cooperative Farm, Portland Food Co-op, Fedco Seeds, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Tenants Harbor Lobster Co-op, CDI's Jonah Fertig-Burd, Isuken Co-op, Maine Farm & Sea Cooperative and Crown O'Maine Organic Cooperative and looks at the role of cooperatives in growing a resilient, equitable and inclusive food system.  

  • Contact: Katherine Bessey or visit https://cdi.coop/

Good Food for Bath:

Growing to Give:

  • For 2020, our area in production will increase by 30%.

  • We're planning next year's crops utilizing seed donations from High Mowing and Botanical Interests. 

  • For the first time, we'll be using a portable seeding trailer to start off the growing season this year.

  • Farmer Theda has been investigating more low-till/no-till practices to be implemented on the farm this year.

  • Representatives from Growing to Give will soon be meeting with some our New American neighbors to find out what we can grow for them.

  • Patty is developing our cooking with kids program. If you know of a school or youth group interested in coming to the farm to learn how to cook veggies, please email: patty@growingtogive.farm.

  • The Outreach Committee has been gathering to plan our summer events. This year we will be hosting a four-course farm-to-table dinner, a garden party, and the Farmyard Jam. More info coming soon.

  • We're always looking for volunteers. Come play in the dirt with us! Email info@growingtogive.farm if interested.

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust:

Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association:

Maine Food Strategy:

Maine Network of Community Food Councils:

  • MNCFC is made up of representatives from food councils around the state of Maine.

  • The MNCFC Lead Team includes: co-coordinators Ken Morse from Community Food Matters in Norway and Scott Vlaun from the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy in Norway. Other Lead Team members are: Bonnie Pooley from Local Food Connection in Bethel, Julia Harper from the Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn, and Harriet Van Vleck from the Merrymeeting Food Council.

  • MNCFC is playing a central role convening a group of statewide food system organizations through a Quimby Family Foundation funded effort. More details coming soon!

  • Contact: mainefoodcouncils@gmail.com or visit: http://www.mainefoodcouncils.net

Maine Gleaning Network:

  • The Maine Gleaning Network celebrated Maine Gleaning Week in October 2019. The focus was on building community and celebrating volunteers through gleaning. Events took place around the state throughout the week. 

  • Merrymeeting Gleaners and the MGN continue their role mentoring new gleaning groups around the state.

  • The annual MGN meeting was held January 8th in Waterville.

  • Monthly network call open to all covering various topics around gleaning: 1st Wednesday of each month, 2-3pm

  • Contact: mainegleaningnetwork@gmail.com or visit: https://www.mainegleaningnetwork.org

Maine SNAP-Ed:

  • Local Classes, Store Tours & Partnerships:

    • SNAP-Ed, Curtis Memorial Library, and Hannaford have been teaming up to bring 1 hour Store Tours to the Brunswick Hannaford. Tours have been successful and highly attended.

    • SNAP-Ed has also been doing fairly regular Cooking Matters and Ten Tips classes at Curtis Memorial Library. Also great attendance.

    • Last fall Cooking Matters Classes for Adults were held at each Bath Housing Site (Moorings, Dike’s Landing, Seacliff and Anchorage).

    • SNAP-Ed expanded classes to 3rd grade at Fisher Mitchell in Bath.

    • SNAP-Ed creates flyers for Dike Newell and Fisher Mitchell’s Fresh Fruit and Veggie Grant. These are distributed through classrooms and staff are developing new ways to successfully engage and reach parents/caregivers/children with relevant nutrition messages (e.g. recipes, videos, social media, direct education).

    • We work with local food pantries to increase interest in different, healthier items that pantries have a hard time getting people to take (Beans, prunes, dry soup mix, whole wheat pasta products). We are working with Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program to create flyers, conduct food demos and tastings.

    • In partnership with the Mid Coast Hospital system, SNAP-Ed will work as a referral partner for food security screening at Mid Coast, focusing on Maine Care offices.

    • For more information about local classes, contact: Ally Messier.

  • Statewide SNAP-Ed updates:

    • SNAC Initiatives: Our State Nutrition Action Council – comprised of multi-sector state and regional organizations – are working on building collective impact beyond the capacity of a single organization. One focus area for 2020-2021 will be promoting federal school meal and child nutrition programs (reduce stigma, increase quality, CEP, School Breakfast, summer meals).

    • SNAC is led by SNAP-Ed as the backbone organization. Our one-page document describing the SNAC and our regional and statewide partners involved is here.

    • To see a list of Maine SNAP-Ed educators, click here.

MidCoast Hunger Prevention Program:

  • MCHPP is partnering with Good Shepherd Food Bank and Mid Coast Hospital to distribute emergency food kits to any patient screening positive during the pilot food security screening at the Brunswick walk-in clinic.

  • MCHPP convenes food pantry leaders regionally through the Food Security Coalition of Mid Coast Maine.

  • MCHPP hired Eric Buch as Development Manager. Eric's educational background is in social work and he has a long career in fundraising, mainly with United Way. 

  • Core Program updates: MCHPP's Food Pantry saw 9,800 visits in 2019, an increase of 9.2% over the previous year. The Soup Kitchen served over 41,000 meals, a 1.1% increase over the previous year. The Food Bank processed over 1.2 million pounds of donated and salvage food, a 4.6% increase over the previous year. 

  • MCHPP started a new focus in 2019 on distributing bulk groceries to smaller pantries in the larger MidCoast region. In 6 months we distributed just under 50,000 pounds of groceries to community partners. 

  • Upcoming events: Martin Luther King Jr. Community Pasta Supper to benefit MCHPP on January 21st, Empty Bowls Project benefit dinner for MCHPP on February 28th at First Parish Church in Brunswick (more info to come).

  • NOTE: MCHPP is open for emergency food distribution outside of listed pantry hours - i.e. any time staff are there, emergency food is available.

  • Contact: General Info or visit: http://www.mchpp.org

Slow Money Maine:

  • SMM will be holding two On-the-Road Gatherings in 2020 in Dover Foxcroft and Houlton in the Spring and Fall - details coming soon!

  • For more information, please visit slowmoneymaine.com. Upcoming events, back stories, and an ever-changing blog of new and exciting developments in the Maine food sector can also be found here.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension: 

  • New Workshops, Classes, and Events around aquaculture, agriculture and the Maine Food System listed weekly at our Resource Page.

  • Ongoing events, see their Facebook Page.