Downeast Gleaning Initiative
Maine’s Downeast region is characterized by significant levels of poverty and food insecurity. In Washington County, 1 in 4 children, and in Hancock County, 1 in 6 children are food insecure, or lacking access to enough healthy, nutritious food to support an active, healthy life. (Feeding America.)
Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative helps to reduce food insecurity by coordinating farm-based gleaning opportunities throughout Hancock and Washington counties. We connect volunteers with farms, orchards, farmers’ markets, and community gardens to collect surplus fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. We then manage the distribution of fresh produce to food pantries, community meal sites, rehabilitation programs, school backpack programs, and other community organizations.
Want to volunteer with our Gleaning Team? Click here.
Since 2013, the Downeast Gleaning Initiative has collected and redistributed over 409,000 pounds of food to more than 30 food security programs and organizations throughout Hancock and Washington counties. We have developed new relationships with more than 50 food producers and engaged hundreds of community volunteers and students in our gleaning program.*
Click here to read our 2023 Gleaning Impact Report.
By supplying food pantries with fresh, local produce, we help to ensure that community members and their children who are most in need have the opportunity to maintain a healthy diet, reduce diet-related disease, and achieve higher educational outcomes. We are committed to ensuring that all people have access to nutritious, affordable food, making the healthy choice the easy choice.
The success of the Downeast Gleaning Initiative has led to the adoption of similar programs in communities across Maine and beyond.
Funding for the Gleaning Initiative is provided by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Maine Department of Agriculture, Hudson Foundation, John T. Gorman Foundation, Maine Network of Community Food Councils, Onion Foundation, Quimby Family Foundation, and United Way of Eastern Maine.
*updated February 2024
Join our Glean Team!
Volunteering with Healthy Acadia’s Gleaning Initiative offers a rewarding learning experience for people of all ages by providing interactions with professional farmers, markets, and community gardens, as well as an introduction to creative food waste prevention and food security. It's a great option for schools, colleges, and other groups seeking volunteer opportunities as part of community service or service-learning programs. We welcome your participation on a regular or one-time basis, any time of the year.
Volunteer opportunities include:
Harvesting produce on local farms
Growing and donating food
Picking up produce at farms and farmers markets
Delivering produce to food pantries and other community organizations
Setting up free produce tables in Bucksport or Ellsworth
Packing produce bags for the Veggies for Recovery program
Administrative support at our Ellsworth or Machias office
To sign up, please complete our Volunteer Form.
For more information:
Hancock County: Email Rachel Emus at Rachel@healthyacadia.org or call (207) 667-7171.
Washington County: Email Lucy Zwigard at Lucy.zwigard@healthyacadia.org or call (207) 255-3741.
Stay in touch:
Follow us on Instagram: @downeastgleaning.
The Downeast Gleaning Initiative is a participating member of the Maine Gleaning Network. Follow the Maine Gleaning Network on Instagram and Facebook.