A group in Waldo County believes it is a fundamental human right to be able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

Its members comprise Waldo County Bounty, a community-based organization that delivers fresh, locally grown food to people in need.

The organization was founded in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and was built by and for the local community. It remains one of the few organizations in Maine acting as a bridge between local farmers and people facing food insecurity. Their secret weapon was aligning with Daybreak Growers Alliance (DGA), a women-owned business that networks and distributes to nearly 30 local farms.

"We were born out of necessity and came together with the help of people from all walks of life, including musicians, nonprofit activists and farmers with distribution routes," said Mattie John Bamman, communications coordinator for Waldo County Bounty.

The 2024 Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment, produced by the Maine Center for Disease Control, reported that 13.9% of the Waldo County population experiences food insecurity, including 20.4% of children. But, working families in the Midcoast do not need a report to know that despite earning an income technically above the poverty line, many struggle to afford basic necessities, such as housing, food, and childcare.

The Waldo County Bounty oversees a Farm-to-Pantry program, by which they buy fresh food from local farms and distribute it to food pantries and soup kitchens in Waldo County. 

With the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancellation of $1.25 million in funding over the next three years, food banks and those who rely on them will suffer, making Waldo County Bounty's mission even more paramount.

"With more volunteer engagement than ever before, our programs have so far distributed 53,000 pounds of produce and nearly 30,000 vegetable seedlings to 14 food pantries and other food access sites countywide," the organization's Nov. 14 annual appeal letter said. "These nutritious, locally grown foods and food sources make the difference for Waldo County households who lost significant access to fresh food due to federal funding cuts."

"We fortunately have not had any of our funding cut because we focus on local, grassroots funding and grants, but some of our partners are losing funding, and some of the local farms we buy from are losing funding," Bamman said. "We are currently hustling to raise funds to respond to both critical funding losses."

WCB's Veggies For All Gleaning program coordinates volunteers to harvest ripe crops from partnering farms and deliver them to food pantries and soup kitchens. They also offer a gardening program that provides free seeds and seedlings to help local residents share with neighbors or donate excess homegrown food to hunger relief programs.

Perhaps the most visible part of Waldo County Bounty's work in the Midcoast is its Give & Take Program. Likely, you have seen one of the 23 open-air farm stands scattered around Waldo County, and which are heaped with fruits and vegetables, all free for the taking from June to October. The concept is simple: Instead of dropping a donation into a coffee can, there is simply a notebook to record produce you have donated.

The concept of the Give & Take Program appeals to many whose biweekly paychecks may not cover necessities but who won't go to food banks for fear of the stigma.

"The farm stand was designed during Covid-19, so that people did not have to interact with each other; but, it has worked out well afterward because stigma is a huge problem for hunger relief," said Bamman. "A lot of Mainers are too proud to accept a handout."

Give & Take started with nine stands in 2020, and has since grown to 23, with nearly one in every town in Waldo County. The 300 volunteers make it all happen.

"You wouldn't believe the number of people involved in this program, from the Maine State Prison Woodworking Program helping to build Give & Take stands and signs, to local builders and local gardeners," he said.

Since its inception, Waldo County Bounty has distributed fresh food to 8,000 Mainers annually. Overall, they distributed more than 265,000 of fresh vegetables and fruits to food banks, and soup kitchens, and other food-access sites, with an average of 60,000 pounds given away each year.

"Daybreak Growers Alliance distribution routes have been the key to our success," he said. "We're able to transfer food across the county through them."

For more information, or to learn about volunteering, visit waldocountybounty.org