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August 18, 2025

'Farm to Neighbor' program aims to fill void left by USDA cuts

People sit at tables in a room with windows. Photo / Courtesy Greta Rybus Tandem Coffee and Bakery pledged to donate a portion of proceeds from yogurt and granola bowl in July and August.
By Laurie Schreiber

A Newcastle brewery, Portland coffee roaster and Rockland food co-op are among a recent slate of businesses enrolling in a nascent program designed to strengthen the ability of vulnerable residents to access local food producers.

“Everyone should have access to wholesome, locally grown and produced foods,” said Melissa Coriaty, owner of Verbena Cafe in South Portland. “Supporting our farms means supporting the local economy, our health and the planet.”

Photo / Courtesy Verbena Cafe
Verbena Cafe

Coriaty implemented a “register round up” for July and August, allowing customers to round their purchases to the next dollar in support of Farm to Neighbor, a statewide collaborative that formed in May in reaction to cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's local food purchasing agreement.

The funding represented $1.25 million to be distributed from June 2025 through June 2028 in Maine that previously made it possible for Maine food aggregators to purchase 500,000 to 600,000 pounds of food from 75 Maine producers and distribute directly to over 200 Maine hunger relief organizations. 

Farm to Neighbor started with seven farms and distributors — Cultivating Community in Portland,  Daybreak Growers Alliance in Unity, Healthy Acadia in Ellsworth, Farms for Food Equity in Cape Elizabeth, Mi’kmaq Farms in Caribou, New Roots Cooperative in Lewiston and Somali Bantu Community Association in Wales.

Local food systems

More have signed on since then.

Coriaty, an advocate for Maine-grown foods, proactively approached the group asking how she could support the cause. 

Another business contributing to the project is Oxbow Brewing Co. in Newcastle. Through Labor Day, the brewery will donate a portion of sales from its Maine Grown Farmhouse Ale. 

"We believe that access to fresh, local food is a fundamental right,” said Greg Jasgur, director of operations. “By supporting this initiative, we’re not only helping to provide nourishing food to those in need. We are also reinforcing the local food systems that make Maine a vibrant and self-reliant place to live and work.”

Other businesses include:

  • Tandem Coffee and Bakery, Portland: Donating a portion of proceeds from its yogurt and granola bowl in July and August.
  • Three of Strong Spirits, Portland: Featuring a custom "Farm to Neighbor" cocktail on its menu in August.
  • Good Tern Co-op, Rockland: Integrating a register “round-up” option for customers in August.
  • Forage Market in Portland: Donating 15% of all direct sales from its Portland store on Sept. 18.
  • 44 North Coffee, Deer Isle: Donating $1 from every 12-ounce bag of its Ethiopia Coffee Beans sold in September.

500k pounds of food

Farm to Neighbor was created to replace the federal funding in order to allow food access groups to continue purchasing food from historically underserved farms and distribute it to communities in need. Organizers had planned to use the latest round of funding to buy over 500,000 pounds of Maine grown food this year. The program's sudden termination left producers and recipient sites scrambling to change plans just as the growing season began.

Farm to Neighbor — with fiscal sponsorship from Full Plates Full Potential, a child nutrition organization in Brunswick — launched a campaign to raise $750,000 to fill the funding gap. 

The Farm to Neighbor project works with small-scale producers. 

"We reached out to our businesses, and the outpouring of support has been incredible,” said Colleen Hanlon Smith, Farm to Neighbor’s campaign director. 

So far, the program has fundraising partnerships underway with businesses in Greater Portland and beyond, with plans to expand throughout the central, midcoast and downeast regions in the coming weeks. 

“We know that all small businesses run on tight margins, so we’re particularly grateful for business owners' willingness to work with us to adopt creative fundraising partnerships,” said Hanlon Smith. 

Businesses and organizations interested in collaborating with Farm to Neighbor through register round-up, menu item sales donation, personal contribution or other means can contact Kylie Welch at kylie@farm2neighbormaine.org. Print and digital promotional materials are available.

For more information, click here.

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