Spring Gardening Webinar Series: Produce Sharing Tables: An Approach to Garden-Grown Food Access

This webinar will explore Waldo County Bounty’s Give and Take program, a stigma-free model for sharing surplus garden produce through community drop-off sites. Participants will learn how the program operates, how new sites are selected, and how to start a Give and Take site in their own community. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address farm losses and food insecurity in rural Waldo County, Maine, where nearly 6,000 residents face food insecurity, the program connects local gardeners, farmers, and neighbors to expand access to healthy, local food.

Speakers: Viña Lindley, UMaine Extension Horticulture Professional and Mattie John Bamman, Waldo County Bounty Communications Coordinator

Register Online: Produce Sharing Tables

Can’t attend live? Register anyway to receive access to the recording and a list of related resources.

About the Speakers

Viña Lindley is a horticulture professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and implements programs that address issues in food access and sustainable approaches to horticulture. Viña’s focus is on empowering individuals, families, and institutions to enhance their understanding of sustainable practices grounded in research-based information. Viña coordinates the Master Gardener volunteers in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo Counties and helps support their efforts to expand food access, deepen knowledge, and support a healthy environment in the community. Viña was involved with launching Waldo County Bounty and the “Give and Take” program. She lives in Lincolnville where she enjoys growing food with her family and sharing the bounty with her community.

Mattie John Bamman (he/him) serves as the communications coordinator for Waldo County Bounty, a nonprofit organization that he cofounded during the pandemic to increase access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. Mattie has participated in the development of WCB programming, including the Farm-to-Pantry, Seedling-to-Pantry, Veggies For All Gleaning, and Give & Take Stand programs, which seek to support food insecure individuals and farms to strengthen the Waldo County food system. He is also a homesteader who grew up as part of the Downeast back-to-the-land movement, and has 20+ years of international food writing experience.