Healthy Acadia Partners with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) to Distribute Maine Blueberries to Food Security Organizations
For Immediate Release
Date: October 30, 2021
Program Contact: Regina Grabrovac, Healthy Acadia, (207) 255-3741 or regina@healthyacadia.org
Media Contact: Tracey Carlson, (207) 667-7171 Ext. 112 or tracey@healthyacadia.org
Healthy Acadia Partners with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) to Distribute Maine Blueberries to Food Security Organizations
Healthy Acadia received funding through Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF) The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) totaling over $19,000 to partner with three local blueberry growers that donated just over 3,600 pounds of berries for distribution to food pantries across Hancock and Washington counties. Dan-a-Dew Farm in Blue Hill, Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs, and Wescogus Farm in Addison worked enthusiastically alongside Healthy Acadia Food Programs Manager, Regina Grabrovac over the winter months to orchestrate and support the pilot project. Local processing and freezer facilities - W.R. Allen’s in Orland and Merrill’s Blueberry Farms located in Hancock, Maine - froze and stored the berries for holiday season distribution.
With 34 direct food security organizations located within the two counties, there are plenty of folks who will have a chance to enjoy the berries. "We always welcome the opportunity to offer high quality, fresh produce to our patrons when it is available. The berries were fantastic and we appreciate receiving them,” commented Nancy Lewis and Ken Warner, Co-Directors of the Machias Food Pantry located at the Center Street Congregational Church in Machias. Machias was one of three organizations that were recipients of fresh berries in five-pound boxes in August as part of this program. In true Downeast tradition, customers raved about the berries. "Clean and ripe blueberries!” one patron commented, “I was able to easily freeze them and then use them on my cereal, [and] for making desserts like blueberry crisp, pie, and cobbler."
During the early winter months of 2021, Healthy Acadia staff, blueberry growers and processors hammered out a system and a plan with each one being tailored to the farm, location, and available freezer facilities. With the start of the harvest season, berries were either processed and packed into five-pound boxes on-farm or sent directly to the processors for cleaning and packaging. A proportion of the berries were distributed fresh in five-pound boxes in August.
Lisa Hanscom from Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs says, “We enjoy doing this type of project with Healthy Acadia knowing that the blueberries are going to the food pantries and that we are helping our community. That’s very important to us. It worries me that local people might not be able to afford local food.”
“I am thrilled with the success of this year’s pilot and with the generosity of the participating growers,” observed Regina Grabrovac, Healthy Acadia’s Food Programs Manager and coordinator of Washington County’s gleaning program. “Each one jumped right in to participate. We worked through everything from container size, timing, transport, available freezer facilities and then work with the pantries to deliver a high quality fresh or frozen berry. It required lots of logistics and it was all smooth sailing with the expertise of the growers. The end result of seeing the gracious appreciation of pantry clients made it all a very rewarding project.”
Healthy Acadia is a 501(C)(3) community health organization building vibrant communities and making it easier for all people to lead healthy lives throughout Washington and Hancock counties. For more information about Healthy Acadia’s efforts to address food insecurity and other health initiatives, visit www.healthyacadia.org.
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