Food has the power to bring people together. While they aren’t breaking bread with one another, that belief holds for the people and businesses who have united to keep Community Resource Council’s (CRC) Community Fridge stocked and their neighbors well-fed.  

“It's a whole community effort ... There's an awful lot of businesses that are contributing to the whole here,” said Holly Stover, CRC director of operations. 

For three years, the Community Fridge has hummed quietly along in a shed outside the Boothbay Town Office. Its shelves and refrigerators are full of donated items, including perishables from Hannaford, hot meals from community members, and goods from businesses, such as flavored popcorn from Coastal Maine Popcorn or rice Krispies from Southport General Store.  

The Fridge's motto? “Take what you need. Give what you can.”  

“It's really about increasing access to food, reducing stigma and reducing shame,” said Stover. The fridge is open 24/7 and receives an average of 20-25 visits a day, most between midnight and 7 a.m.  

According to Stover, these numbers increase during winter due to the strain of heating, electricity and snow removal costs. She also expects numbers to rise as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts begin to take full effect in 2027.  

“These are very tough times for people, so food is the best gift, and being able to see that, whether it's from afar or personally, it's really important,” said Bonita Johnson, general manager and chef for Southport General Store.  

Under its zero-waste policy, the store donates perishables and prepared meals that don't sell, and makes dishes out of food near expiration. Personal care items (shampoo, toothpaste and menstrual products) are also donated. The store drops off items five days a week.  

“We find that prepared meals are really in need, because a lot of people don't have the capacity or the space to actually prepare their own foods,” said Johnson.  

Co-president of Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club Mike Thompson shared the sentiment. In addition to monthly perishable donations, the Rotary Club boxes up leftovers from its weekly Thursday night meal, which Thompson brings to the Fridge the same day. 

He recalled an older man who shared that, since his wife died two years ago, the Rotary dinners are one of the few meals he gets a week. Thompson had also encountered people who can't cook because they don't have heat in their house.  

As for the heat filling the Community Fridge, that’s largely the work of the Rotary. The Club paid for the shed’s insulation and interior paneling, as well as an exterior ramp about two years ago. Before that, Stover said that during the fridge’s first winter, cans had to be moved into the Boothbay Town Office each night to prevent the cold weather from popping them open.  

“Service above self. That's our model, (and) I think that kind of says it all,” said Thompson.  

Belief in something beyond oneself is what brings worshippers to the kitchen at Boothbay Baptist Church every second Tuesday to prepare 100 meals, which are dispersed to the Fridge throughout the month. With food donated from members or bought through their charitable deacon’s fund, Cathy Arey-Wilson and her fellow congregants whip up their signature recipes: Bell pepper chicken, pepper chicken, Italian chicken, turkey chili and taco chicken soup.  

While the dishes remain the same, the group is always open to feedback. Less seasoning? They hear you. That’s partly why each box comes with a list of ingredients for those with food sensitivities.  

“We just want to shed a light for Jesus in the community. We really love our community. The Baptist Church has been there over 250 years now, and we have a lot of locals in our church that have been born and raised here,” said Arey-Wilson.  

Giving back to the community through communal cooking has also been a tool to get the next generation involved. In collaboration with Southport General Store, fourth through sixth graders from Southport Central School used vegetables grown in the school’s community garden to prepare a free community lunch for over 100 guests in November and donated 64 pints and 16 quarts of homemade soup to the Fridge in Boothbay, said Johnson.  

They’re not alone. St. Columba’s youth group recently made 30 soup kits for the Fridge. The CRC is also launching a new partnership with Boothbay Region Elementary School called “Kids Cooking for Kids,” where students will help prepare meals for classmates experiencing food insecurity.  

The goal is to make kids conscious of the food insecurity around them, and show how they can combat it in their future communities, Stover explained.  

“You're teaching social responsibility, you're teaching civility, you're teaching a lot about being part of a caring and compassionate community,” she said.