Maine is the most food-insecure state in New England — ninth in the nation. That means one in five children under the age of 16 in this state lives in a household uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough nutritious food for all its members.
This information, based on studies from 2007 to 2009 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, appears in a 2010 Coalition Report from The Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.
“I don’t think that many people in the state of Maine really understand the nature of hunger in the state,” Mark Lapping, professor and executive director of the Muskie School, told a reporter for Maine Public Radio in January. “It’s sort of hidden, hence ‘The Hidden Crisis,’” he said, quoting the report’s introduction.
Equally disturbing is knowledge that Maine imports more food than any other state in the lower 48. Maine — a state that once fed its own residents as well as those in other regions. What happened? Where are we headed? Can Maine, particularly Aroostook County, tap its agricultural traditions to feed itself again?
Groups within and outside The County are answering this question.
“New England will look to Maine and especially Aroostook County as one area for food production,” said Jim Dwyer, crop specialist in the Central Aroostook County Office of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service, citing a USDA forecast that world food production must double in the next 50 years. “The demand for food is coming and there are not that many areas with land availability. [Aroostook has] land mass, skilled farmers and potential.”
Dwyer’s colleague Cooperative Extension Director John Rebar calls agriculture the “growth sector of the economy” noting Maine has added 1,000 new farms in the last 10 years with the most diversified agriculture in New England. “It’s part of the rural character of the state — part of what makes Maine special.”
Rebar cites the Harvest for Hunger campaign coordinated through the Master Gardener Program as Cooperative Extension’s response to food insecurity in Maine. Gardeners and commercial growers are invited to grow an extra row or two or to donate extra produce to help feed the hungry in Maine.
Last year nearly 500 volunteer gardeners in about a dozen counties donated 140 tons of produce to 114 food pantries, shelters or charitable organizations around the state.
“It’s Maine people helping Mainers,” Rebar said. “It brings out the best of what we believe about Maine society: people caring about each other — neighbors helping neighbors.”
While Harvest for Hunger has not yet reached Aroostook County, Lisa Fishman, supervisor for Extension’s Eat Well program in the Northern Aroostook office in Fort Kent, has been working with her counterpart in Houlton to launch the program soon. She is building a core of master gardeners and said 120 volunteers in seven Extension Homemakers clubs between Spragueville and New Sweden are ready to go.
“It’s a coordinated effort,” she said, explaining that providing food is just the beginning; education on how to cook, preserve and store fresh produce is essential.
Harvest for Hunger volunteer gardeners will be asked to partner with food pantries to make the connection with residents who qualify to receive food through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
One key partner will be Catholic Charities of Maine, which supplies 25 pantries from Wytopitlock to St. Francis and from Ashland to Fort Fairfield and served more than 28,000 residents in 2011.
“The one reason we are here is to feed people in Aroostook,” said Dixie Shaw, food bank and home supplies program director. “We’re raising money to feed people.”
With retail stores in Caribou and Presque Isle and food banks in Caribou and Monticello, Catholic Charities sells clothing and household items donated by individuals and thrift stores to fund the purchase and distribution of food for the county’s hungry.
“We sell stuff to turn it into food,” Shaw said, quoting a television commercial portraying herself as a magician: “‘You mean you can turn a pair of shoes into food?’ ‘Just watch this!’”
Shaw said the need is greater than it has ever been in her 23 years with Catholic Charities, in part because people have come to rely on pantries, which originally were created for emergencies, and they want much more than food.
Shaw looks forward to partnering with Harvest for Hunger because fresh produce shipped into the county often spoils before it can be used. “The best scenario is for families to access fresh food directly from farmers,” she said adding that “farmers markets are an exciting population in line with where we want to go.”
Shaw also sees potential in the generation that knows how to can vegetables and preserve food for winter. She envisions people with such skills mentoring those with a desire to learn in churches and senior centers.
“We have the ability to take care of ourselves,” she said. “This is an agricultural community. We know how to grow a garden. We have a lot of people who have a lot to give. It worries me that we have a generation or two who have not been taught.”
Lapping agrees: “Kids can still learn from their parents and grandparents,” he said in an interview. “Aroostook County has incredible soils and a great legacy of agricultural intelligence. Lose it and you’re up a creek.”
For information visit www.ers/usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity, muskie.usm.maine.edu or umaine.edu/harvest-for-hunger.
Kathryn Olmstead is a former University of Maine associate dean and associate professor of journalism living in Aroostook County, where she publishes the quarterly magazine Echoes. Her column appears in this space every other Friday. She can be reached at kathryn.olmstead@umit.maine.edu or P.O. Box 626, Caribou 04736.
Hunger? What hunger? Ever followed plodding grocery store customers larding up- yes, “larding” up- their “screaming under- all- that- weight” carts ? You know, the ones with their mugs in one zip code and their far-more-than- ample asses in another zip code! Count on it! Out pops the EBT card at the register. So shut your ugly pie-holes and do as Mochelle and Obummer dictate– eat your peas and twinkies and…
These are 5 year old studies that just now make the news.
I think this is a good idea. I am an avid gardener. I would love to donate. The problem is just as soon as you give someone in need something from your garden the government will get involved. They will say “You can’t do that!” You have to get the food inspected-rejected-selected before you can do that. That will cost you money. Just another means for goverment to have control and justify their jobs. Things are a changing, hopefully some day for the better.
Mark isn’t a gardener; but a very liberal academic.
From a gardener’s perspective, Maine has hundred’s of tons of excess produce, but much of it goes to waste because:
>>It reaches the market at the same time and people don’t/won’t eat it. I would love a nice fresh zucchini for dinner; and well remember begging my neighbors to take my surplus this summer.
>>People, liberal foodies especially won’t eat, let alone prepare seasonal foods. The worse offenders are people who run food pantries who prefer cans of carrots; not bunches which have to be cleaned and apportioned. The result is that gardeners don’t bring their excess produce to them
>>Once upon a time, 4H’s and granges ran community food processing centers to can dry and freeze produce for the winter. Food pantries could provide this service but prefer to redistribute prepared meals.
>>Nor will the same do-gooders take the time to pick roadside apples or cultivate these many trees….In my neighborhood are several trees that cover the ground with apples and pears—raked up and composted because no one wants them.
>>There is no way for individual gardeners to redistribute their bounty; especially where a gardener has an abundance of unusual ingredients….I found one raised bed filled with a thicket of MINT that was never harvested by the owner.
If Marc wanted to do something useful, instead of writing another whiny report; he’d initiate local web based exchanges and food processing centers so that this week’s apples become next winter’s apple sauce, etc.
>>MOFGA chapters build, plant and maintain raised bed gardens for low income residents of public housing. This could be encouraged by the State MOFGA chapter instead of spending money on S American political causes.
If I sound pissed, It’s because I’ve made an issue of this in several venues and have done what I can on a local level to feed the hungry–who btw. could be trained/encouraged to maintain gardens; and seniors who can no longer garden actively—bath tub gardens with water lines and hard surfaces between them allow people in chairs and walkers to garden.
It’s really a seasonal allocation and utilization problem; and Marc’s whining about all the ‘hungry people’ obscures the rate of obesity among these people. The food pantries I deliver to are full of fat people; so you just ‘hold your nose’ and pray they will eat fresh organic produce from local sources instead of packaged MACn CHEESE.
Thank You !
I’ve suggested school going through the summer, the kids can learn to grow food and it would cut cost all the way around but I guess until Mac & Cheese grows on trees and walks it’s way to the pot on the stove people want to go hungry.
Hey Organ, some of what you say makes sense but a lot of your rant is just that, a rant based upon old cliche’s and stereotypes. Too bad you’ve muddied the credibility of your post because you do have some valid points. One of my pet peeves is all the food that restaurants throw out. Though the food has exceeded it’s allotted time for resale it is still safe and edible. Unfortunately there are liability issues along with collection and distribution. This needs to be dealt with on a state level by eliminating the liability concern.
Oh, I do not recall seeing a single overweight person when I take garden produce to local pantry’s.
Why the acerbic tone? Do you think calling Mark a whiner will help your cause? You, sir, come across as being the very whiner you accuse Mark of being. I think a little civility would go a long way. Just saying.
As a youth I was in the FFA and all the produce was given to the food pantries and churches for the needy. The Cities had garden plots for the people to use to help them grow their own food instead of just giving it to them. Maine is a welfare state and getting worst everyday.
As a person who has lived most of his life in MA, but is now at least part time in Aroostook, I’m having a hard time believing that “Maine imports more food than any other state in the lower 48.”
Is that a per capita statement?
I mean, let’s just look at Massachusetts. Okay, yes, MA has some farms too, but it also has a fairly humongous city along with several smaller ones, and while there are some urban gardens, they don’t produce that much. In short, there’s just no way MA imports less food than Maine does.
I know hunger is a problem in Maine, but after reading that Maine imports more food than MA does (supposedly), I don’t trust most of the other facts recited in this article.
I would love to see food pantries instead of EBT cards. Stock them with local produce and meats. That way local farmers make some money and tax dollars are going to healthy food. Also with all of the wildlife and wild edibles in Maine, one would think people could feed themselves.
How about opening up our public lands or give a tax break to private lands used for gardening. I have seen this done in certain areas and the gardens always look very nice and well taken care of.
Home economics, food preparation, food canning and gardening are rarely taught in public school. Is it a wonder why so many people do not know about such things?
But there is plenty opportunity to learn sports in school.
Priorities appear to be skewed.