May marks the one-year anniversary of Bath Housing’s partnership with Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, bringing fresh produce and pantry staples to each Bath Housing property.

The first pantry opened at the Moorings in May, with The Anchorage and Dikes Landing opening pantries in June, followed by Seacliff in July. Some 1,500 visits have been logged to the food pantries thus far, and 3,033 prepared meals have been delivered.

The partnership gives residents access to fresh produce, baked goods, and items like pasta and peanut butter, and to meals provided by the hunger prevention program soup kitchen in Brunswick, according to a press release issued by Bath Housing.

In May 2021, Bath Housing Resident Service Coordinator Kathy Smith became aware of a pilot program between Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program and the Brunswick Housing Authority. Mid Coast Hunger was developing satellite sites for pantries and food distribution to address transportation and mobility barriers facing some community members, and exacerbated by the pandemic.

On-site food pantries addressed the lessons learned about meeting food security needs of residents during the pandemic and drastically simplified the distribution process, according to the press release. Working with Caroline Daigle, Mid Coast Hunger’s satellite pantry coordinator, Bath Housing prepped on-site freezers and completed a food safety course to get the program underway.

“One of our main goals with the satellite pantries — grocery store-style pantries in apartment buildings and community centers — has been to provide food for members of our community who have transportation, mobility, or dietary limitations that make it difficult to access adequate groceries within their budget or at all,” Daigle said. “It has been wonderful to collaborate with Bath Housing on this community-based programming, which can be personalized to meet the needs of each individual building.”

Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program operates 12 satellite pantries throughout Brunswick, Bath, Topsham and Richmond.

During the pandemic, Bath Housing also partnered with Cooking for Community, providing 7,000 meals to residents.

The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program food pantry is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesday evenings 4-6 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. The Soup Kitchen serves freshly made-to-go meals on Mondays–Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 1:30 pm.

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