A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 1 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Lewiston, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - Lewiston/Auburn, Maine Corps Community Center
Services provided :
- Character Building Programs
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
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) 783-0801 to book your appointment.
Address :
67 Park St,
Lewiston, ME 04240.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Lewiston, 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 5 Church Food Pantry locations in Lewiston, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church Food Pantry
Hours: Tuesdays 9am-12 noon. We are a designated food pantry for residents of Auburn only by the Good Shepherd Food Bank. We model the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing food to the hungry and needy people of the City of Auburn. This mission is carried out by a volunteer work force using donated food and money. We follow the Good Shepherd Food Bank guidelines for eligibility.
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) 784-0861 to book your appointment.
Address :
316 Minot Ave,
Auburn, ME 04210.
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- Auburn
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
High Street Congregational Church Food Pantry
It is an unfortunate reality that many people in our community are food insecure. High Street is one of a small group of area churches who work together, with the support of the Good Shepard Food Bank, to try to help families by supplying a once a month allotment of food. High Street provides the space for this volunteer-staffed ministry every Thursday morning from 9:30-11:30. Donations of food, especially high protein, non-perishable items such as peanut butter and tuna fish are always highly desired as are financial donations and the gift of time.
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) 784-1306 to book your appointment.
Address :
106 Pleasant St,
Auburn, ME 04210.
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- Auburn
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
Greene Baptist Church Food Pantry
Regular Hours: Thursday 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. For emergency arrangements, call the Church at 207-946-5505. Primarily for area residents (Greene and surrounding towns). Open to the public (Church membership not required). Our Food Pantry accepts donations of money and unopened food products! Our Food Pantry provides canned and dry goods (fruit, vegetables, soups, tuna, dry noodles, peanut butter, cereal, some baby goods), and some frozen foods to needy individuals and families. Items will vary from week to week.
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) 946-5505 to book your appointment.
Address :
102 Main St,
Greene, ME 04236.
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Greene
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- Androscoggin
Vineyard Church of Mechanic Falls - Bread of Life Food Pantry
The Bread of Life Food Pantry serves Mechanic Falls, Minot and Hebron. The Bread of Life Food Pantry is open on the second Tuesday of every month, 10:00am-11:30am. Doors open at 9:30am
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) 345-9501 to book your appointment.
Address :
90 Lewiston St,
Mechanic Falls, ME 04256.
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- Mechanic Falls
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
Community Baptist Church Food Pantry
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) 375-4337 to book your appointment.
Address :
9 Main St,
Sabattus, ME 04280.
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- Sabattus
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- Androscoggin
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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 Lewiston, 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 8 Food Pantry locations in Lewiston, Maine which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Hope Haven Gospel Mission - God's Kitchen
God's Kitchen serves anyone needing a hearty nutritious meal, without question of need. Serving schedule: Breakfast is served at 8:00AM, Sunday - Monday. Dinner is served at 4:30 PM-5:30 PM, Monday-Saturday, Sunday at 2:30 PM. During the Sunday meal a Chapel service is provided with a brief message from the Word of God. We also offer and serve holiday meals (Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving & Christmas), as well as deliver to shut-in's who are unable to walk or commute; having a legitimate need, for this service during the holidays. On these particular holidays the meals are served from 11:00 AM - 1 PM. Due to the poverty of our area, individuals and families facing tremendous hardships are coming in increasing numbers. The numbers include men, women, children and teenagers.
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) 783-6086 to book your appointment.
Address :
209 Lincoln St,
Lewiston, ME 04240.
Get Directions
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- Lewiston
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- Androscoggin
Pathway Community Center
Pathway Community Center, a division of Pathway Mission Initiative, exists to help meet the needs of local Mainers. We have relationships with several businesses and non-profit organizations in the three cities we currently inhabit – Lewiston, Augusta, and Brunswick – and are happy to provide food, supplies, and other resources when we have the ability. We are excited to partner with Good Shepherd Food Bank and other local programs to provide food and other supplies to those who might need it. Our food pantry is located at our Lewiston campus at 9 Foss Road and is open by appointment. Every Friday, we hold a free Community Meal in our Pathway Cafe! This is a free event, held at 9 Foss Road in Lewiston from 11:30AM-1PM.
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) 784-9500 to book your appointment.
Address :
9 Foss Rd,
Lewiston, ME 04240.
Get Directions
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- Lewiston
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- Androscoggin
St. Mary's Food Pantry
As one of the largest emergency food pantries in Maine, the St. Mary's Food Pantry has been providing emergency food assistance to residents of the greater Androscoggin County for over 20 years. Now at a new location on the corner of Bates and Walnut Streets, the Food Pantry remains conveniently located in the heart of downtown Lewiston. In addition to obtaining and distributing food to the thousands of individuals seeking assistance from the Food Pantry, our director, Joyce Gagnon, serves as a catalyst to direct clients to alternative sources of assistance, both financial and supportive. Joyce elaborates, "Into each box of food we distribute, we always add our prayers, our support, and our hope for a better tomorrow." Open Monday-Friday from 9-11am.
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) 513-3841 to book your appointment.
Address :
208 Bates St,
Lewiston, ME 04240.
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- Lewiston
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- Androscoggin
Trinity Jubilee Center
Meals are served seven days a week and we strive to provide a balanced, filling meal of vegetables, meats, starches and dairy, as well as drinks and desser. These meals are often the only hot meal our patrons eat each day and many return for seconds. Anyone is welcome to eat at Trinity and thousands of people, including parents and children, the elderly, disabled, veterans, and people struggling with mental illness and addiction, eat at Trinity each year. Hundreds of pounds of food are prepared each week as each meal serves 80-100 plates. The food pantry is open weekly and each week almost 200-250 families receive food and diapers. The majority of the food available is fresh produce, as well as canned vegetables, fruits, and meats. The food comes from the USDA and from our partnership with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, which allows us to purchase discounted nonperishable foods and free fresh foods at their Auburn warehouse. We also benefit from food drives held by local congregations and schools, including Temple Shalom in Auburn and the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Church, and from collaborating with large events, such as the Dempsey Challenge, to accept excess food.
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) 782-5700 to book your appointment.
Address :
247 Bates St,
Lewiston, ME 04240.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Lewiston
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
Lisbon Area Christian Outreach
LACO operates a food pantry located at the Marion T. Morse Community Center. There are no financial qualifications for food assistance, simply proof of residence. Individuals and families can visit the pantry once a month. Each visit provides a family with a week’s supply of food. Also located at the Marion T. Morse Community Center is a clothing bank. LACO welcomes anyone in need of clothing to visit the bank and take as much or as little as they need. There is no charge or residency requirements for the Clothing Band. We only ask that you take only items that you will use. The Food Pantry & Clothing Bank are open Wednesdays, 6 pm - 8 pm; Thursdays, 10 am - noon and Saturdays 8 am - 10 am (The Clothing Bank will be closed the second Wednesday of each month.)
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 :
18 School St,
Lisbon Falls, ME 04252.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Lisbon Falls
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
New Gloucester Food Pantry
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) 926-3260 to book your appointment.
Address :
19 Gloucester Hill Rd,
New Gloucester, ME 04260.
Get Directions
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- New Gloucester
Help Residents of Counties:
- Cumberland
Deacons Food Pantry
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) 524-5444 to book your appointment.
Address :
123 Church Hill Rd,
Leeds, ME 04263.
Get Directions
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- Leeds
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
Loaves & Fishes & The Food Pantry
Based on the Scripture of Jesus' miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes, our group was established to provide assistance to people in crisis. Loaves & Fishes and the food pantry is headquartered in the Sabattus Dominican convent, and serves all qualified residents of the Sabattus area, regardless of religious affiliation. The food pantry receives food from the USDA food program through Community Concepts and the Good Shepherd Food Bank for weekly and emergency distribution to all Sabattus area residents. We also receive food from other area businesses on a regular basis. Since 1997, thanks to the generosity of so many, Loaves & Fishes has helped multiple individuals and families in need.
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) 375-8399 to book your appointment.
Address :
61 Lisbon Rd,
Sabattus, ME 04280.
Get Directions
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- Sabattus
Help Residents of Counties:
- Androscoggin
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 Lewiston, 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.