Dear Community,

As we enter into our seventh Garden Project Build Season, we hope you will consider making a contribution to support our ongoing work. Please join us in celebrating the launch of our 2024 Foodscapes Garden Project (FGP) Fundraising Campaign!

Each year, we partner with households experiencing limited resources and community organizations serving marginlized individuals to build raised bed vegetable gardens. We have also been known to supply a woody perennial and fruiting tree(s) a time or two.

FGP Gardeners Carol and Jim, before/after (Norway, 2018)

Our work spans across four counties in Southern Maine - Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, and Oxford counties. Our garden building season begins in May each year, after Community Meals & New Gardener Orientations and pre-paperwork are completed in April. All of our new FGP Gardeners receive seeds and seedlings on their garden installation day. We also host a seed library and offer no-cost seedlings to all Foodscapes Gardeners each spring. We see families and individuals on Seedling Pick-Up Days each year who built their raised bed gardens with Maine Foodscapes as far back as 2018 and it is a joy to see folks re-connecting with eachother at the start of each growing season.

FGP Gardeners Doreen (Harpswell, 2021), Trisha and kids (East Waterboro, 2018), and Dawn (Biddeford, 2022) on Seedling Pick Up Days (2023)

FGP Gardener Amy and son (Gorham, 2019), Seedling Pick Up Days (2023)

Map of FGP Gardeners (2018-2022)

Maine Foodscapes also offers ongoing educational programming in garden and kitchen-based settings for youth, seniors, and the broader community. These regular cooking, planting, & wellness workshops are open to the public.

Foodscapes Canning 101 Workshop (August, 2023)

Foodscapes Sugaring 101 Workshop (March, 2022)

Since our founding in 2018, we have proudly served over 500 individuals through our work installing over 600 raised vegetable garden beds for a total of 159 households & 26 organizations within 51 towns and 4 counties across Southern Maine. We have received over 1,500 garden applications in the last six years and are working to build our internal capacity and community partnerships to meet this need. We have engaged over 100 volunteers in our work since 2018, including a robust Board of Directors (11 members in 2024).

Pre-K Nursery Gardens (West End, Portland, 2023)

Community Garden Build for Hope Acts with Volunteer Groups from GPCOG & Martin's Point Healthcare (Parkside Neighborhood, Portland, 2023)

Community Garden Build with Volunteer Group from IDEXX (Riverton Park, Portland Housing Authority, 2023)

Senior Housing ADA-accessible Gardens (Lewiston Housing Authority, 2023)

 

This work is only possible with generous community support. Please give today to help us meet our goal of raising $30,000 to fund raised bed home garden installations for Maine households in 2024!

Contribute Here!

FGP Gardener Risa & Volunteer Group from Allagash Brewing Co. (Windham, 2022)

We are also looking for Monthly Donors! If you are able to join other Foodscapes Sustainers as an ongoing supporter of our work at $5, $10, $25, or $50 per month (or in a one-time gift amount of your choice), your generous contribution will go directly toward supporting the ongoing sustainability of the Foodscapes Garden Project (FGP) and our Community Education Programs. 

FGP Gardeners Tim & Sarah upgraded from their FGP Container Gardens in Year 2 (Gorham, 2023)

Thank you for your support! If you would like to contribute in other ways to the work of Maine Foodscapes, please consider reaching out to our Board of Directors at info@mainefoodscapes.org or visiting the Foodscapes Volunteer Opportunities section of our website to fill out our Volunteer Registration form.

FGP Gardeners Faith and Providence (Kennedy Park, Portland Housing Authority, 2018)

Gardener Vivian with Volunteer Group from Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution (Scarborough, 2023)

FGP Gardener Erica's Household, East End Neighborhood (Portland, 2021)

With gratitude,

 Ali Mediate, Founder and Director

 & The 2024 Foodscapes Board of Directors

Left to right: Matthew, Ali, Dora (FGP Gardener '21), Margaret, Tom, Sarah, Kristina (FGP Gardener '19), Lee, Aryn and Alyssa at the Annual Board Retreat hosted at United Way of Southern Maine in Portland (February, 2024)