09/29/2026
September is Hunger Awareness Month, and today, September 29th, we honor and celebrate Hunger Action Day.
So far this year, our Community Food Program has provided $175,048 in fresh, culturally familiar vegetables to food pantries, immigrant-led and serving organizations, mutual aid networks, and directly to neighbors, AND equitably paid the local immigrant farming families who grow them.
Maine has the highest rate of hunger in New England, and for people of color, that rate is over 50%. With our social safety net being dismantled at the federal level, leaving many people without access to longstanding food assistance programs, our local emergency food system and partners are being pushed past our operational and capacity limits to meet the growing need.
Supporting community food organizations and local farmers is vital right now and what Hunger Action Awareness Month is about. Hunger is a political choice, and we can all come together to take action locally by donating funds and time, while advocating to address the systemic inequity and poverty that are the root causes of hunger.
This work is made possible thanks to all our neighbors who donate and to local foundations and partners—including the Immigrant Farmer Fund, the Mainers Feeding Mainers program through Good Shepherd Food Bank, Food for All Services, Locker Project, Wayside Food Programs, and Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets—who match SNAP and WIC sales 100% at pop-up farm stands.
Let's continue to stand together as a community and support this vital work together 💚
