BELFAST — The Belfast Co-op and Belfast Free Library will show a new photo exhibit, Feeding Maine: Growing Access to Good Food, the entire month of March. The show features photos by photographer Brendan Bullock, accompanied by writer Annie Murphy's captions, and highlights local food access efforts across Maine.

In conjunction with the exhibit, Maine Farmland Trust will convene a community discussion with local organizations working in innovative ways to get more local fruits and vegetables to those in need, through farmers markets, CSAs, co-ops, and farm-to-food bank gleaning, including Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets, Veggies For All, Healthy Acadia, and MOFGA. The event will be on March 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Belfast Free Library.

The Feeding Maine photo exhibit is a collaboration between Maine Farmland Trust and Good Shepherd Food Bank and seeks to document some of the many people working for change in our communities across the state, with the hope that these efforts will continue to grow into a resilient food system that serves all Mainers.

Maine Farmland Trust works to protect farmland and grow farming throughout the state while Good Shepherd Food Bank works to eliminate hunger. "Our goal is that this show conveys both the seriousness of hunger in Maine, and a sense of hope that we can overcome hunger," said Julie Guerette of Good Shepherd in a news release, "By growing the kinds of efforts documented in this exhibit, we can make huge strides toward food security for all Mainers."

More than 200,000 Mainers are food insecure. The term encompasses hunger and scarcity, as well as a lack of access to food that's fresh and healthy.

"In making fresh food accessible to those who need it most, the projects featured in the exhibit are forging new opportunities for Maine farms — opening up markets, diverting waste through farm donations and gleaning, and creating new customers," said Ellen Sabina, Outreach Director at Maine Farmland Trust.

Brendan Bullock is a freelance photographer and photography educator based in Bowdoinham, Maine. While most of his work is focused in Maine, he travels to make documentary pictures throughout the world, including South America, Europe, Africa, and India.