Lewiston, an old mill town along the Androscoggin River, serves as an urban hub and gateway into rural Western Maine. While Lewiston is one of the largest cities in Maine, it is still small enough that it is possible for grassroots efforts to instigate change and then witness the change in action. Lewiston has deep Franco-American roots and is home to several annual festivals including a balloon festival and an acclaimed modern dance festival at Bates College each summer. It is equidistant from the ocean and the Western Maine mountains. Lewiston has seen a significant demographic transformation in the last fifteen years, with the arrival of ~5,000 Somali, Somali Bantu and Central African immigrants and refugees.

Tthe St. Mary’s Nutrition Center serves families, youth, adults, elders, and refugees who range from age 3 to over 70 and come from many backgrounds. The Nutrition Center promotes community health through organizing, advocacy, and education. The long term goal of the Nutrition Center is to build a viable food system while supporting local leaders, strengthening community ties, and engaging youth as agents of change. The corps member at St. Mary’s would work with area public schools to increase hands-on learning about healthy food and work with nutrition services on enhancing school meals.

When you join FoodCorps in Maine, you join a family of 12 corps members serving all across the state. We connect both virtually and in person, spend time together and learn, and enjoy all the natural beauty and excellent food culture Maine has to offer. No matter where you are, you have the support of the cohort and FoodCorps Maine staff, Malia and Ryan, who both grew up in Maine and love sharing all that is great about this state with corps members who we hope will put down roots here and continue to be an important part of Maine.