The produce most widely donated to Maine Harvest for Hunger: squash, potatoes and apples.
In Augusta, Maine, weighing in on state-related matters typically occurs in the State House and the adjacent State Office Building. But on one crisp morning this past October, there was a weigh-in of another sort just across the street from the legislative chambers and hearing rooms. In a garden behind the governor’s mansion known as the Blaine House, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteers joined Ann LePage, Maine’s first lady, in harvesting winter squash — 258 pounds of butternut and acorn — to address one of Maine’s most serious issues: hunger.
The squash was donated to Maine Harvest for Hunger, a statewide initiative coordinated by the UMaine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program. In 15 counties, the volunteers grow and donate produce to aid Maine’s fight against hunger. They also work with home gardeners, small farmers and commercial growers to get their surplus to local soup kitchens and food pantries.
Maine Harvest for Hunger grew out of the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign that Cooperative Extension introduced in the state 13 years ago. The name change a year ago reflects the growing commitment — literally and figuratively — statewide to stem hunger, according to Barbara Murphy, an Extension educator based in Oxford County and the chair of Maine Harvest for Hunger.
“The new, broader name reflects the multifaceted ways food is captured — through gleaning commercial fields, community gardens and small farms setting aside areas, and individual gardeners donating surplus,” Murphy says. “The need for fresh produce is very high. It’s not readily available at most food pantries and it makes a huge difference in people’s diets. It’s a missing link.”
This year, Maine Harvest for Hunger collected more than 176,000 pounds — 88 tons — of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to more than 114 food banks and soup kitchens. Just as important, there were more calls than ever before from growers hoping to donate, Murphy says, and more community organizations tapping into the collected produce.
Next year to further its success, Maine Harvest for Hunger plans to ramp up its nutrition education programming.
