Volunteers separate tomato seedlings at the Community Food Hub. (Photo courtesy Jess Breithaupt)
Are you interested in gardening this summer, but lack the resources to purchase seeds and seedlings? At Healthy Lincoln County, we have a program called Grow-A-Row for Hunger, where we offer free seeds, starts, and other materials for folks willing to grow an extra plant for our programs.
You don’t need to grow an entire row, as the name implies. We would be more than happy if you grew an extra plant, and only donated once during the growing season.
For us, it is more about encouraging people to garden and work in the soil, trying something new and reaping the benefits, both expected and unexpected, of growing your own food.
Something magical happens when you plant a seed and tend to it during the growing season. The ritual of checking the soil, watering the plant, and watching the growth can be very healing. For families, this can be a togetherness activity, one that brings everyone together, even if only for a few minutes a day.
We are fortunate our community partners support our food programs. For instance, we have received donations of seeds from our partners at Renys, seedlings and soil from the UMaine Cooperative Extension, and containers from many volunteers. In fact, we have several tomato seedlings we hope to hand out to interested growers next week. We also have seeds for every type of vegetable variety imaginable, all completely free for folks interested in growing with us.
Anyone can sign up to be a part of this. You are not expected to donate every week. In fact, we gladly accept one-time donations. We encourage new growers to sign up and see whether their thumb is green. We have garden guides for new growers and a network of folks all too willing to share their gardening tips and tricks.
Donating food to our Grow-A-Row program is simple. You can leave it in a cooler at our Damariscotta location, or you can stop into the Community
Tomato seedlings donated from the UMaine Cooperative Extension, for the Grow-a-Row program. (Photo courtesy Jess Breithaupt)
Food Hub during certain hours each week and hand it over to a volunteer. If you have a lot of food, we will even offer to pick it up from you directly, and maybe even harvest it!
To get started, please email our lead volunteer for this project, Debbie, at: growarow2023@gmail.com, or call 380-0526. She will let you know what types of seeds and seedlings we have available and will direct you on where to go to pick them up. There is nothing to lose except for a little bit of time spent in the garden.
Farm Stands
Broad Arrow Farm, 33 Benner Road, Bristol, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Chase Farm Bakery, 333 Townhouse Road, Whitefield, open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
County Fair Farm, Route 32, Jefferson, open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., year-round, self serve.
Fuzzy Udder Creamery, 35 Townhouse Road, Whitefield. Open 24/7, self-serve.
Morris Farm Store, 156 Gardiner Road, Wiscasset, open noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Goranson Farm Store, 250 River Road, Dresden, open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., year-round.
High Hopes Farm, 777 Bristol Road, Bristol, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Sunset Hill Farm, 98 Cross Point Road, Edgecomb, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Cash, checks, or Venmo only.
Swallowtail Farm, 98 Main St., Whitefield, open daily using the honor system from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Switchback Farm, 195 Morgan Hill Road, Nobleboro, open for self service.
Farmers’ Markets
Waldoboro, The Waldoboro Farmer’s Market will launch for the season on Sunday, May 21, from 12 – 3 p.m. at the Waldoboro Town Office.
Food Programs
Need help navigating the various food programs in Lincoln County? Call the food security hotline at 350-0536, and leave a message with your contact information. Project Coordinator Jess Breithaupt will call you back and discuss local options with you.
Cooking classes
Looking to hone your culinary skills? Curious about how long food keeps in the fridge? Ever wanted to start your own garden? Look no further! Skidompha Library is excited to offer a series of free food-centered workshops that will introduce participants to new recipes, kitchen skills, and garden techniques while also discussing the greater social, societal, and environmental impacts food has on our daily lives. We hope that you will join us for one – or all! – of the workshops below.
Registration is required. To register, email info@skidompha.org or call 887-0919.
Container Gardens for Adults, 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 20 at Skidompha Library. Want to grow a garden but you have limited space, time, or mobility? Come join Great Salt Bay Community School Agriculture Coordinator Hedda Scribner for a fun and easy container garden workshop. All participants will go home with a fully planted container garden to enjoy for months to come.
For seniors
Senior Commodity Boxes: People at least 60 years of age may be eligible for monthly food boxes. The boxes include nonperishable items like peanut butter, pasta, and instant mashed potatoes. Call Spectrum Generations at 563-1363, ext. 1, for more information and to sign up.
Meals on Wheels: Older adults can sign up for Meals on Wheels by contacting Spectrum Generations at 563-1363, ext 1. Adults in the Boothbay Region should contact Pat Wheeler at 633-4370 to sign up.
Weekend meal programs
The weekend meal program, also known as the backpack program, is available for families that need food support for their children over the weekend. Bags of food, usually consisting of easy to prepare breakfast and lunch items, are placed discreetly in students’ backpacks on Fridays. Sign up information for schools is listed below.
Bristol Consolidated School: The program is run by the nonprofit Caring for Kids. Parents can call the BCS main office at 677-2678 for more information.
Boothbay region: The program is run by Food for Thought. Parents should call the community navigator, Hannah Corkum, at 350-1743.
Dresden Elementary School: Parents can call the main office at 737-2559 to sign up.
Great Salt Bay Community School: To sign up, email or call Jill Davis at jdavis@aos93.org, or 563-3091.
Jefferson Village School: Parents can call the JVS main office at 549-7491 to sign up.
Nobleboro Central School: Parents can call the main office at 563-3437 to sign up.
Waldoboro: Parents can call the main office at 832-2103 and ask for Julia to sign up.
Wiscasset Elementary School: The program is run by the nonprofit Feed our Scholars. Parents can call the Wiscasset Elementary main office at 882-7767.
Food drives
Food donations are always accepted at Healthy Lincoln County, at 281 Main St. in Damariscotta. For more information, call Jess Breithaupt at 350-0536 or email jbreithaupt@healthylincolncounty.org.
The CLC YMCA will be doing an all-day food drive at Main Street Grocery on Friday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staff from First National Bank, Damariscotta Police Department, Healthy Lincoln County, and the CLC YMCA on site to collect food, house supplies, personal hygiene items, pet food, and diapers.
CSAs
CSA farm customers commit early in the year to buy a farm’s harvest by purchasing a farm “share.” Throughout the growing season, CSA members receive boxes of the farm’s harvest. Participating farms in Lincoln County include:
Bristol: High Hopes Farm, 380-3197
Damariscotta: Clark Farms, clarkfarmsme.com or 549-3363
Dresden: Goranson Farm, goransonfarm.me or 737-8834
Newcastle: Morning Dew Farm, morningdeworganic.com or 350-5075
Nobleboro: Spear’s Farm, 832-4488
Waldoboro: Coppertail Farm, coppertailfarm.com or 541-729-5769; Uprooted Farm, uprootedmaine.com or 612-9053
Westport Island: Tarbox Farm, tarboxfarm.com or 522-0840
