Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program provides the following services to residents of the towns of Brunswick, Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Lisbon, Lisbon Falls and Durham:

Soup Kitchen

Since its beginnings in 1983, the goal of the Brunswick Soup Kitchen has been to provide hungry individuals and families in the greater Brunswick area with the opportunity to access at least one hot, balanced meal per day, Monday through Friday.

In 2007, Soup Kitchen volunteers prepared and served over 26,398 meals. About a third of the meals were served to senior citizens. Mid Coast Hunger Prevention has been designated a Senior Congregate Meal Site by Spectrum Generations, our area agency on aging.

The Soup Kitchen is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. A wide variety of hot, healthy sit-down meals are served. Bread is available on a daily basis to take home.

Food Pantry

The Brunswick Food Pantry, which opened on September 1, 1993, provides food assistance to individuals and families who are either in a crisis or unable to purchase adequate amounts of food because of lack of financial resources.

To be eligible for this program, total monthly household income must be less than 120 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and proof of income is required. Clients can access the Food Pantry twice per month, with 14 days between visits. On the first visit, clients are provided with meats, fruit, vegetables, breads and a box of non-perishable food items, such as soups, cereals and pasta. On the second visit of the month, clients receive only meats, fruits, vegetables and bread products.

The Food Pantry is open Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Food Bank

Monday through Friday, Food Bank volunteers collect and help sort the meats, produce, breads and pastries donated to our agency by local supermarkets. Volunteers work closely with Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen volunteers to insure an adequate supply of non-perishable food products. When necessary, Food Bank volunteers make trips to Good Shepherd Food Bank in Lewiston to purchase needed items.

Reaching Elders

Food Pantries across the country are seeing an increase in the number of elderly people needing assistance. In January 1999, the agency received funding to develop and implement a new program called Reaching Elders. By developing collaborative relationships with agencies, organizations and institutions providing services to seniors, we have been able to identify and offer food assistance to more than 100 new senior households at risk for hunger due to low monthly incomes. Agency volunteers are now delivering food to 30 low-income seniors who are homebound.

If you know of anyone who is having to choose between food and other necessities, our program is there to help. For information on whether you qualify for food assistance, call Sue Elsaesser at 725-1151.

Strategies for Sustainable Living Educational Program

With financial assistance from the Maine Community Foundation and the Bath YMCA, we offer a strategies for sustainable living educational program focused on assisting low-income clients to become more self-sufficient and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Workshops have covered such topics as money management, healthy lifestyles, coping with depression and stress, managing diabetes and how to assess job skills and interview for a job..