From Strong Roots Comes New Growth
The St. Mary’s Nutrition Center Becomes Gather to Grow
After 26 years of growing community through food, the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center has become an independent nonprofit organization. The new name: Gather to Grow.
This transition has been a collaborative and intentional process designed to ensure continuity in services and support. While the Nutrition Center now operates independently, St. Mary’s remains a proud and committed partner.
What’s staying the same:
-
The same trusted programs
-
The same team and leadership
-
The same location at 208 Bates Street in Lewiston
-
The same commitment to food access, youth development and community connection
Gather to Grow continues to provide:
-
Weekly food access for more than 500 households through the Food Pantry
-
Community gardens and education programs
-
Long-standing partnerships with local schools
-
Youth leadership opportunities and community meals
Gather to Grow also invites the community to stay connected:
-
Attend a community celebration planned for June (details coming soon)
St. Mary’s is grateful to have supported this work from the beginning and looks forward to continued partnership in advancing food justice and community health.
Gather to Grow. Same roots. New name. Growing forward.
Community Gardens
Lots to Gardens is a founding program of the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center. Since 1999, Lots to Gardens has transformed over a dozen vacant neighborhood lots into thriving urban gardens used by community members, schools, and youth gardeners in our training programs. The community gardens not only produce fresh fruits and vegetables but also contribute to vibrant city neighborhoods and remove barriers to accessing fresh foods.
LEARN MOREChildren’s Gardening and Cooking Programs
The St. Mary’s Nutrition Center provides children with a safe and fun environment to explore the wonders of growing and cooking healthy food. School-based and neighborhood gardening and cooking programs give children the chance to get their hands dirty, work as a team, and try fresh, delicious vegetables – sometimes right from the ground!
LEARN MORECooking and Nutrition Education
We believe that preparing healthy meals shouldn’t be too complicated and that sharing good food together improves health and strengthens community connections. Our programs at the Nutrition Center teach simple nutrition messages and healthy cooking techniques, encourage positive food attitudes and decrease barriers to preparing healthy meals.
LEARN MOREFood Access Initiatives
Food access strategies go beyond the garden gate at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center in Lewiston, Maine. The Center serves as a catalyst to kick-start projects that help increase access to healthy food in the community. Initiatives such as farmer’s markets, food buying clubs, and “market incentive” programs often thrive and take on a life of their own!
LEARN MOREYouth Leadership
We believe that youth are essential partners in creating a healthier community. The St Mary’s Nutrition Center in Lewiston, Maine provides training opportunities for diverse crews of teenagers throughout the year. Their unique and powerful voices are heard within their community as they learn to grow, harvest and cook healthy food; learn about nutrition, food systems and hunger; and teach others their newfound knowledge. Youth receive stipends for participation in most programs. Applications are released a few months prior to each program’s start date and are competitive.
LEARN MOREFood Pantry
As one of the largest emergency food pantries in Maine, the St. Mary's Food Pantry has been providing food assistance for residents of the greater Lewiston-Auburn area for over 20 years. The Food Pantry is located in the heart of downtown Lewiston across from Kennedy Park on the corner of Bates and Walnut Street and serves over 1,000 people weekly.
LEARN MORE