One Maine organization is taking the harvest from farm to community

BREWER, Maine (WABI) - “If we create situations where people can do good, lots of people want to do good,” said Jack McKay, Food AND Medicine Executive Directive and President of the Eastern Maine Labor Council.

Volunteers come together to sort and pack boxes at Food and Medicine in Brewer for their annual Solidarity Harvest.

“We raised nearly $80,000, and it’s a real team effort, to purchase vegetables from farmers throughout the state of Maine. There are 19 different things that go in each box. And then we’re doing 1,650 boxes which will go from Madawaska to Portland from Eastport to Berwick,” said McKay.

Now in their 21st year of the harvest, over 66,000 pounds of food has been collected, boxes are being sent to over 70 organizations, and volunteers are giving over 1,500 hours of their time.

Checks are also being written to farmers for product that would have otherwise been composted.

All to keep the message strong, Solidarity, not charity.

Community organizations, as well as folks from Food AND Medicine feel that this annual tradition is a true display as to what Thanksgiving is really about.

“Thanksgiving is a season where the history of my ancestors is really on my mind and a lot of indigenous people’s mind. The original story has been sort of sanitized and packaged in a way that doesn’t acknowledge the harm to our people. So I think that I’m always drawn to organizations that really walk their talk, and I find that Food and Medicine has been really supportive. And that to me, feels like a way to heal a lot of the real story of thanksgiving and the colonialism and it just feels really good to be a part of a great forward movement and progress,” said Food AND Medicine Board Member and President of Wabanaki Alliance, Maulian Bryant.

And shows what solidarity can accomplish.

“Trouble and hard times are endemic to our society. We are trying to not have it be here but if we take an honest look at it, there’s more homeless, there’s more people suffering those more hard times. You can ignore it and pretend it isn’t there or you can do something that act of being able to do something positive for people is it’s a gift,” said McKay.

To sponsor a meal, volunteer, or learn more about the Food and Medicine organization, you can go to foodandmedicine.org or call 989-5850

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