Preble Street's Food Security Hub expands kitchen facilities to meet increasing demand

PHOTO / IZZY NEWMAN Part of the new kitchen at the Preble Street Food Security Hub.

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In the face of a drastic increase in demand for food from partner organizations that feed Mainers in need, Preble Street Food Programs is expanding its kitchen and distribution facilities into a 30,000-square-foot mixed-use building at 75 Darling St. in South Portland.

The new Food Security Hub will allow staff and volunteers to increase the number of meals it prepares from 2,000 per day to 10,000 once the new center is fully operational later this year.

The organization received initial funding for the $12 million project from several organizations, including the Portland-based John T. Gorman Foundation and the Scarborough-based Hannaford Charitable Foundation.

Hunger in Maine has grown substantially since the pandemic and the Portland-based nonprofit has expanded its production to feed people not only at its own shelter, but also those in 26 towns in southern Maine as well as to social service organizations.

Preble Street provides hot meals to the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine, YMCA, the city of Portland’s shelters, patients receiving care at the Congress Street Health Center and to unsheltered individuals throughout Portland and into South Portland and Westbrook through the organization’s Street Outreach Collaborative.

A key partner is Auburn-based Good Shepherd Food Bank which distributes food to more than 500 organizations, including more than 300 food pantries across the state.

Built-in capacity

An important component of the center will be increased freezer capacity which will enable Preble Street to have 50,000 prepared meals on-hand for emergencies.

For decades, Preble Street has fed people impacted by emergencies and natural disasters, from the Ice Storm of 1998 to the pandemic and other events.

“We said, ‘let’s build in capacity,’ so that 5, 10, 20 years from now, this facility will be big enough to respond to emerging needs … to respond to another pandemic and other emergencies like a natural disaster or an economic crisis,” noted Mark Swann, executive director at Preble Street.

Swann said the new facility will also “dramatically increase how much and what we do with fresh produce and locally grown food.”

Capital campaign

In addition to the funding from the Gorman Foundation and Hannaford Charitable Foundation, Preble Street is looking to raise an additional $1 million to fully complete all phases of the new facility.

“This is the time to learn from the pandemic, think big, and look for innovative ways to bring food insecurity in Maine to an end, “ Swann said.

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