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Beginning Thursday, October 29th, the Gather to Grow Food Pantry (formerly the St. Mary’s Food Pantry) will have new hours. The food pantry will now be open every Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm and will no longer be open Tuesdays and Fridays. Gather to Grow will combine two food pantry days into one, but will be open approximately the same amount of hours per week.
Gather to Grow remains committed to serving the 600+ households they support each week with fresh produce, meat, and culturally important food through their choice-centered “food pantry store” and their weekly delivery program for housebound residents.
The team at Gather to Grow understands the impact that this change will have on community members, particularly during this incredibly difficult moment in time. Nearly 23,000 Mainers have lost SNAP benefits, including 7,000 eligible children, and Maine’s school-meals-for-all policy could also be affected. Costs for basic needs continue to rise, creating hardship for more families every day. They know that food pantries like theirs are increasingly needed to help provide food stability in people’s lives.
This change however, will allow the organization to more sustainably provide the care and resources needed to keep serving as a trusted, welcoming, and safe food pantry for all, over the long term. The change will also allow Gather to Grow to continue to strengthen other areas of work that support food stability, including their community garden program where residents can grow food for themselves and their families in one of Gather to Grow’s 10 urban gardens.
The Gather to Grow team will continue to listen to community members as this change unfolds and are ready to support those who may be disproportionately impacted. For more information please visit www.gathertogrowmaine.org or contact 207 513 3848 or info@gathertogrowmaine.org
Note on the annual Thanksgiving Food Giveaway: Despite the change to regular hours, Gather to Grow’s Thanksgiving Food Giveaway will still occur on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Tuesday November 24th.
