We Feed People +
Keep Our Community Working.

COVID-19 brought us together to help provide nourishing meals for those who are hungry and continued employment for those struggling in the food industry.

Maine is in food crisis, restaurants are struggling, and agencies are stretched thin.

Before COVID-19, Maine was already one of the most food-insecure states in the nation. Add to that the thousands of Mainers who have been put out of work by the pandemic. More than ever before, so many of our neighbors don’t know where their next meal will come from.

At the same time, local restaurants are struggling to survive. Workers depend on this income. Many farmers have lost their reliable revenue stream with the dramatic drop in demand from food-service institutions. Social service agencies are stretched thin.

We have a solution.

Cooking for Community is a Portland, Maine-based grassroots organization that raises money to hire local restaurants that need work to prepare healthy meals for people who need food, using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

Ninety-seven percent of all funds raised is dedicated exclusively to our programs. Money goes directly to our local restaurant partners. Each is required to provide a set number of cost-effective meals per week, while adhering to all relevant safety protocols. Our social service partners then distribute these comforting, easy-to-reheat meals where they are most needed in the community. Since our inception in early April 2020, over 75,000 meals have been served.

Our donors, partners, and volunteers fuel our mission.

Cooking for Community is a dynamic, all-volunteer organization. Our dedicated crew of donors, advisors, organizers, restauranteurs, kitchen workers, chefs, harvesters, and non-profit management professionals are committed to creating solutions to hunger in Maine that no single entity could deliver alone.

That means supporting our restaurants and growers, who are central to our communities and the economic viability of Maine’s vibrant food culture. It means partnering with agencies to better identify and serve those in need. And it means finding innovative ways to feed our neighbors.

Because in this beautiful, bountiful state, we believe everyone deserves a seat at the table.