A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Gardiner, Maine distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army operates free local food banks around Gardiner, Maine from almost all of their local social service centers. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
We have located 2 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - Augusta, GA
Services provided :
- Alcohol and Drug Treatment
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Clinics Services
- Day Camp Activities
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Emergency Shelter
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Rehabilitation
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Store
- Transitional Housing
- Visitation Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
- Worship Services - Young Adult
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (706) 364-5762 to book your appointment.
Address :
[148 - 198] Green St,
Augusta, ME 04330.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
The Salvation Army - stop&shop
Services provided :
- Salvation Army Family Store
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (413) 593-1111 to book your appointment.
Address :
672 Memorial Dr,
Winthrop, ME 04364.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Gardiner, Maine have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Churches operate with food donations gathered and deliver to the food pantry nearest you by individuals using food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to elderly who are unable to drive to a nearest community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
We have located 1 Church Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Philip's Episcopal Church - Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry
The Help Yourself Shelf is an ongoing ministry that makes available food and paper goods to those in need. It opens every Thursday at 5:00 pm in the parish hall. Please come if you need this service.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 882-7184 to book your appointment.
Address :
12 Hodge St,
Wiscasset, ME 04578.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Wiscasset
Help Residents of Counties:
- Lincoln
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by the Catholic Charity organization focus on addressing food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charity centers for help.
Catholic Charities in Gardiner, Maine are open to families on a first-come, first-serve basis. The centers operate during normal business hours, and provide walk-ins with groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal.
The food pantries are like grocery stores, allow clients the ability to choose the items they need from the groceries that are available on site.
First-time clients of the food pantry will need to apply, and this is done from a one-page application. An applicant will need to provide basic household member as well as demographic information.
We have located 0 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Gardiner, Maine almost entirely by volunteers.
It provides a 7-day supply of groceries and personal care items free of charge to people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Helping Hands is supported entirely by donations from individuals, service organizations, churches, and businesses in our community.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
We have located 0 Helping Hand Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Mobile Food Pantry
The mobile food pantry program distributes food directly to families in communities around Gardiner, Maine in need during large-scale one-day distributions.
A typical mobile pantry serves 200-250 families distributing up to 10,000 pounds of food. This past year over 6.6 million pounds were distributed through this program.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2024
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantry scheduled to visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
We have located 0 Mobile Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Model.Content.StateName which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry operates around Gardiner, Maine much like a grocery store where people in need can choose their own food. It helps to enhance their personal dignity and reduces waste due to unwanted food items.
It also helps them to be proactive in addressing any underlying health issues. This is our model of choice for food pantries in the future.
We have located 0 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Food Pantry Delivery Program delivers food and other products once a month at twenty points in around Gardiner, Maine area. This makes it just a bit easier for some of more remote rural agencies to receive their products. About 70% of members take advantage of the Food Pantry Delivery Program.
Food Pantry
We have located 7 Food Pantry locations in Gardiner, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Faith Food Pantry
Faith Food Pantry serves the Gardiner area each week. In 2010, church members were moved at the level of food insecurity in our community and set out to help out families in need. Since then, Faith Food Pantry has operated under a separate 501c3 status and is open weekly providing food for those in need. Though the pantry is physically located at our church campus and run by several in our congregation, we are blessed to have a number of volunteers and donors from outside our community who find this ministry a meaningful place to serve. Faith Food Pantry is open from 12:00-2:30 pm on the first, second, third, and fifth Friday (if there is one) of each month. It is also open from 9:00-11:00 am on the fourth Saturday.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 582-5432 to book your appointment.
Address :
280 Brunswick Ave,
Gardiner, ME 04345.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Gardiner
Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen
Operating five days a week (Monday - Friday) from 11:30am to 12:30pm for 11-months of the year (the Soup Kitchen is closed for cleaning during the month of July). The soup kitchen which is housed in the church hall is always looking for volunteers and monetary donations.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call to book your appointment.
Address :
72 Pleasant St,
Waterville, ME 04901.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Waterville
Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
Vassalboro Food Station
The Vassalboro Food Station is now open every Thursday from 11:00 to 12:00 in the new food station building located next to the North Vassalboro Fire Station on Rte. 32. Open to all income eligible families living in Vassalboro. You must provide proof of address and income status. We are totally staffed by local volunteers. Volunteers are always welcome. We are a distribution center with donated foods - if you can help by having a fund raiser please let us know. We are a non-profit organization that runs solely on donations, if you can help us it would be greatly appreciated.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 873-7375 to book your appointment.
Address :
179 Bog Rd,
Vassalboro, ME 04989.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Vassalboro
Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
BOLM Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen was the first service offered by Bread of Life Ministries. Started in 1984 by some local area churches, it is located in the heart of the Capital at 157 Water Street in Augusta. The Soup Kitchen is more of a “full meal†kitchen in that it provides a complete, hot meal Monday through Saturday throughout the year. The Soup Kitchen has served over 36,000 meals in the last 12 months, and offers a small, but welcoming space to anyone seeking a hot meal, no questions asked. One paid staff person oversees the kitchen with the help of hundreds of volunteers.. Over 5,000 hours are volunteered each year helping with donation pickups, preparation, serving and cleaning. Feeding the hungry was the initial mission of Bread of Life Ministries, and continues to be a core service offered to our guests. Soup Kitchen Hours: Monday thru Saturday – 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 621-2541 to book your appointment.
Address :
157 Water St,
Augusta, ME 04330.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Augusta
Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
Richmond Area Food Pantry, Inc
Richmond Area Food Pantry, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to provide additional support to community families in need. The Richmond Area Food Pantry is open on the first Wednesday of the month from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and the third Saturday of the month from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 607-2777 to book your appointment.
Address :
15 Spruce St,
Richmond, ME 04357.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Richmond
Help Residents of Counties:
- Sagadahoc
Notre Dame Soup Kitchen
Notre Dame Soup Kitchen serves meals on Saturdays (with a few exceptions), 11 AM - 12 PM, at the church hall.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call to book your appointment.
Address :
116 Silver St,
Waterville, ME 04901.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Waterville
Help Residents of Counties:
- Kennebec
Wiscasset Nazarene Outreach Food Pantry
The Wiscasset Nazarene Outreach Food Pantry is run through the Wiscasset Church of the Nazarene and our goal is to help feed all the residents of Maine. Wed: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Sun: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (207) 882-9088 to book your appointment.
Address :
255 Gardiner Rd,
Wiscasset, ME 04578.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Wiscasset
Help Residents of Counties:
- Lincoln
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Since the start of the coronavirus, drive-thru food pantries have become the safest, most efficient way to provide food to our struggling neighbors.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are open for anyone who needs help getting food. There are no eligibility criteria. Visitors do not need to provide any identification or income statements.
Only two piece of information is asked
- You Zipcode, and
- Number of people in their family.
You dont need to take appointment. Drive-thru pantries are first-come, first served so plan to arrive early.
How do drive-thru pantries actually work?
There are lot of volunteers help at Drive-thru food pantries. While not all drive-thru pantries operate in the same way, here�s how most work:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the parking area.
Visitors pull up to the pantry in their car and are usually guided into a clearly marked queue. As people move through the pantry, staff will continue to move the cars forward to get everyone through as quickly and safely as possible.
Checkin.
You are required to fill some information for Pantry's recording keeping.
Food is loaded into the cars.
Pre-packed bags of food, usually full of shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats are loaded by volunteers into the trunk of the car.
Pet Food Pantry
One in four pet owners who give up their pets to a shelter say it is because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet Food Pantries are designed to fill the void in the nation�s current assistance programs that exclude the purchase of food and supplies for family pets.
The Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food, for 3 months or less, to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in Gardiner, Maine
Who are eligible for Pet Food Pantry
Pet Food Pantry helps people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.