Blog

Photo of Maine Department of Correction's Women's Reentry Center.

Pilot 1: Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center

Project Goals To determine what foods were creating the most kitchen and plate waste in their facility. To reduce the money they were spending both on purchasing food and disposing of food that is not eaten, by developing a better knowledge of their waste. To develop strategies in the kitchen and with the residents in […]

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Pilot 2: Maine State Prison and Bolduc Correctional Facility

After finishing our pilot with the reentry facility in Windham, we patterned with the DOC again to track food waste at the Maine State Prison and Bolduc Correctional Facility. Instead of one facility with 50 residents, we jumped to two tracking and measuring food waste for two facilities with a total of around 830 residents. […]

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Pilot 4: Annual Maine Home Food Waste Challenge 2023

The Maine Home Food Waste Challenge was a four-week online household food waste reduction “competition” which launched on January 9th, 2023. Maine residents and communities statewide were asked to track, measure, and reduce their weekly food waste in order to save money and help prevent climate change. Using social media, newspapers, TV, and community outreach, […]

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Photo of Blue Hill Hospital.

Pilot 5: Northern Light/Blue Hill Hospital

We partnered with Northern Light Health to conduct a two-month-long study to track, measure, and reduce food waste at their Blue Hill Hospital Facility. We worked closely with the Food Service Director and her team to conduct this study. The food waste study began on 11/7/2022 and was completed on 1/10/2023. Goals To reduce food […]

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Four people standing in front of UMaine's Community Fridge

Opening Doors: Community Fridges

U.S. Food Insecurity and Federal Efforts Food insecurity is an issue that I’ve been passionate about long before I joined the Food Rescue MAINE intern team this past fall. In middle school, a local backpack program that provided kids with meals and snacks over the weekend opened my eyes to how widespread food instability and […]

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Food Waste is a Social Justice Issue

I was one of the countless Mainers facing food insecurity, feeling guilty for the hunger in my stomach because I knew my cabinets were running bare and I couldn’t afford to replenish them without asking for help.  Food. Full bellies. Balanced, healthy meals to nourish your body and mind. Midnight snacks. Food is something many […]

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A picture of the Wyoming state sign at the border.

Lessons from my Time with AmeriCorps: How Maine Can Learn From Wyoming

My experience at Feeding Laramie Valley: While serving with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) I spent some time in Laramie, Wyoming, working with a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Feeding Laramie Valley (FLV). The aim of this organization was to address food insecurity issues and to support a sustainable and just food system in Albany […]

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Photo of Agricycle's Exeter facility, found on their website

Food Waste Basics…What Is Anaerobic Digestion?

While I was very excited to work to end food waste in Maine with my internship with the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, I found the many food waste terms to be overwhelming. But with a few Google searches, I was able to put together the basics.  If you also find food waste terminology to […]

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