Feed York County

The Campaign to Fund the York County Food Hub

Help Us Fight Hunger and Feed Our Neighbors

Our vision for the county’s first and largest food security hub is coming into focus.

After years of planning and consultation with civic leaders and food systems experts, the York County Food Hub will begin operations in Fall 2026 with a mission to reduce food insecurity throughout York County. Located in ~7,500 sf of warehouse space in Biddeford, Maine, we’re excited to get started, but these early years are our most vulnerable.

For the Hub to reach its full potential, we need your help.

Your financial support for the York County Food Hub will help us invest in the critical infrastructure and staffing required to achieve our goals. We need trucks, equipment, and people to source more and healthier foods for pantries, engage in food rescue at scale, and deliver innovative antihunger services.

There’s never been a resource like this one devoted exclusively to the needs of York County residents. Working together, we can strengthen our local food system and feed our most vulnerable and food insecure neighbors.

Key Features of the Food Hub

Commercial Kitchen Space
Allowing staff to process rescue food for storage and turn it into healthy meals

7,500 sf of Warehouse Space
Optimized for food storage at scale with multiple loading docks

Centrally located in Biddeford, Maine
Convieniently located off 1-95 and close to most county pantries

2,000 sf of Cold Storage
Freezer and refigeration space to keep produce, dairy, and other foods fresh

Hunger In York County

We live in Maine’s second most affluent county and yet too many of our neighbors go hungry. Read below for more facts about local food insecurity and how York County Food Hub is positioned to make a difference.

  • Twelve percent of York County residents are food insecure, including nearly 1 in 5 children, and several factors are accelerating hunger in the region. Most notably, SNAP participation in the county is down ~7% since 2025 federal regulatory changes.

    Inflation and economic pressures further widen the gap between living wages and basic needs. United Way of Southern Maine estimates that 41% of York County households have difficulty meeting essential needs such as food, housing, transportation, health care, and childcare.

    York County also has a large older population, many of whom live on low and fixed incomes. A new AARP survey highlights their struggle: 36 percent of low-income seniors (65+) say they are worried they will run out of food each month before they have money to buy more.

    Our focus is York County and reducing hunger where we live.

  • York County has 25 independently operated pantries, and another 25 or so meal and food programs. The majority are small, run by volunteers, and reliant on donated food from the Good Shepherd Food Bank and the generosity of local residents.

    Lack of resources translates into limited hours of operation and reduced access. On average, York County pantries are only open two days a week for a few hours per day.

    Our recent survey of York County pantry and food program leaders identified a variety of common challenges, including lack of storage and increased demand for food and services. Good Shepherd Food Bank confirms that pantry visits have risen 10% in 2026.

    York County Food Hub will support and strengthen local pantries.

  • Food waste is a crisis that harms our environment and deepens food insecurity.

    Southern Maine is home to resorts, restaurants, farms, and other businesses that create a significant amount of food waste that ends up in our landfills.

    York County generates an estimated 800 million pounds of food waste a year, the equivalent of 360 pounds per resident. While not all discarded food can be rescued, a 2024 University of Maine study estimates that 12 percent of food waste is edible and could be donated and used to feed our neighbors.

    Food rescue at scale requires infrastructure, timely coordination of pickups, and attention to food safety requirements. Currently, no one organization in York County has the staff, resources, and equipment to conduct countywide food recovery.

    York County Food Hub will be a leader in regional food rescue.