09/08/2026
With September being Hunger Action Month, it’s important to remember hunger touches us all whether we’re aware of it or not.
It could be your neighbor who is affected, classmates of your children, the sibling who’s no longer in good touch, or even a parent who you aren't able to see frequently. In fact, need is often silent, shielded by pride, shame, or just a sense of normality and acceptance.
The root causes of food insecurity can range from any combination of circumstances such as not enough income, health problems and disabilities, the rising cost of living, or emotional or mental challenges. Regardless of the cause though, we know that not having enough to eat takes a toll on a person’s health, emotional well being, and ability to progress in life.
Here in Maine 1 in 7 of us, or nearly 15% of Mainers struggled to find enough food in 2024. And that rate seems to be continuing to rise steadily each year.
We also have the highest rate of child hunger in New England. Looking more locally, in Knox County 19% of children residing here are food insecure.
And in 2024, 31,000 older adults (60+) in our state also experience hunger. You can find more information on hunger in Maine and across the country by visiting https://www.gsfb.org/new-feeding-america-study-shows-hunger-on-the-rise-in-maine/.
While this can seem daunting, here at the Come Spring Food Pantry our mission is to help ensure that every person in our community has access to basic, nutritious food on a daily basis. If this is important to you as well, here are some ways that you can take action to help:
💚 Food Pantries always need cash contributions. While Good Shepherd Food Bank distributes some food items to pantries throughout the state for no charge, food banks are also able to purchase foods from them for much lower prices than at the store. Pantries also need cash donations to keep the electricity for the freezers and refrigerators on, the pests out, and pay other bills like this.
💚 Donations of food are always welcome as well. Food pantries can’t purchase all of the items we need on our own. And the stock at GSFB is limited. So whether you organize a food drive, clean out your cupboards or camp, or you head to the store specifically to shop for items a pantry needs, your donations allow us to offer more than we ever could on our own.
💚 If you have spare time, volunteering your talents at a pantry near you and offering "in-kind donations" (donating your professional services or expertise) can really make a difference. It’s not just staffing open pantry days and stocking shelves. Most pantries need someone to mow the lawn, someone else to run to the dump, folks to keep things clean and organized, someone to manage the website and socials, and so on. So be sure to ask what they need and maybe you’ll find a great fit!
💚 And, most importantly, if you’re experiencing food insecurity, there are resources here to help!
At Come Spring Food Pantry here in Union (just off Rt 17, across from the Maritime Farms in the little red building) we offer open pantry days on the First Saturday and the Second and Fourth Wednesdays of every month from 10am - 1pm. Everyone is welcome to shop here regardless of the town or county in which you reside.
There are quite a few other food pantries in our area also. We’ve compiled a list of them based on the days of the week they are open and posted it below for you to keep handy.
Ensuring food security in our area, in our country, and in our world takes us all working together. We are grateful to have the opportunity to see that support in action every day here at the pantry. And we hope you’ll join us in continuing to work together to end hunger this month - and every day after.
https://comespringfp.org/
