Hancock County Food Drive

More than 1 in 10 Maine households goes without nutritious food, making Maine the most food insecure state in New England. Childhood food insecurity rates in our region are even higher: according to Kids Count Data Center, 1 in 6 children in Hancock County live in food insecure households, which can have lifelong impacts on children’s physical health, mental health, and educational outcomes.

The Hancock County Food Drive is a collaborative effort that seeks to end food insecurity in our community by ensuring that local food assistance programs are stocked with healthy, nourishing food. The Food Drive is organized by the Hancock County Food Security Network in collaboration with Healthy Acadia, Heart of Maine United Way, Maine Community Foundation, Star 97.7, and UMaine Cooperative Extension.

Thank you to Maine Coast Mall in Ellsworth for providing an annual storage space for thousands of food donations.

Food security organizations across Downeast Maine collectively serve an estimated 10,000 community members every month. By building resources for these programs, the Hancock County Food Drive works to ensure that all people in our community have access to nutritious, affordable food.

The Food Drive supports these Hancock County food security programs:

All food drive donations are evenly distributed among the 17 participating food assistance programs in Hancock County - 100% of your donation goes toward feeding people in our community!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Thank you to all who made the 13th Annual Hancock County Food Drive a success! Stay tuned for the full report.

If your business or organization is interested in collecting food or becoming a Hancock County Food Drive sponsor in 2025, please contact Eleanor Jones at (207) 667-7171 or eleanor.jones@healthyacadia.org or visit www.hcfooddrive.org.

Continue the fight against hunger by making a donation to a food security organization in your community. Click here to find a food pantry or meal program near you. Help bring local produce to these organizations by volunteering with the Gleaning Initiative, which collects surplus fruits and vegetables from farms and redistributes the fresh produce to food assistance programs.

Food security organizations need your support throughout the year

Financial donations go further to feed our hungry neighbors. According to Good Shepherd Food Bank, every $10 you give can help to provide 30 meals for our neighbors facing hunger, since pantries can often buy food items at wholesale cost.

To support the Hancock County Food Drive at any point throughout the year, please send your check or money order donation to attn: Hancock County Food Drive, United Way of Eastern Maine, 700 Main Street, Suite 1, Bangor, ME 04401. Please make your check payable to United Way of Eastern Maine, and write "Hancock County Food Drive" in the memo line.

Learn more by visiting the project’s Facebook page (@hcfooddrive), or by contacting Rachel Emus, Healthy Acadia’s Hancock County Food Programs Manager, at Rachel@HealthyAcadia.org or (207) 667-7171.