We might still have snow on the ground, but it’s time to remember the wonderful summer flavor of fresh, local produce!

Join us on Saturday March 2nd for the
“Meet Your Farmer and Fishermen: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair” in Bangor

sponsored by Food AND Medicine and the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association

What: 10 local farmers will showcase their farms, their particular CSA models, and some of the delicious foods their CSAs will offer – from vegetables and flowers to meat, cheese and more!

CSAs allow consumers to sign up in the spring to receive a weekly share of fresh food from a local farmer throughout the summer, and farmers are paid when they need the money the most – at the beginning of the season. CSAs build a direct relationship between you and your farmer!

When: Saturday March 2^nd from 2-5pm

Where: Hammond Street Congregational Church, 28 High Street in Bangor

Who: Anyone who is interested in learning more about CSAs and wants to eat delicious food and support a local farmer this growing season! This event is free and open to the public

For more information about the event, please contact Erin at erin@foodandmedicine.org or call us at 989-5860.

For more information about the other CSA-CSF Fairs statewide, contact MOFGA’s Organic Marketing Coordinator, Melissa White Pillsbury, at (207) 568-4142, melissa@mofga.org.

Last night, Food AND Medicine, the Eastern Maine Labor Council and the Maine Peoples’ Alliance hosted a candlelight vigil and a public forum to speak out about the proposed cuts to social safety net programs. Together, we sent this message to Congress:

No Cuts To Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid!
No Tax Breaks for America’s Wealthiest 2%!

Click here to see WABI’s coverage of Food AND Medicine members speaking out about the importance of our social safety net.

Check out channel 5′s news coverage of Solidarity Harvest here: http://www.wabi.tv/news/35266/solidarity-harvest-helps-feed-over-1-000-mainers

There are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer! Contact us at 207-989-5860 – we will be here all weekend and hope to see everyone.

Solidarity Harvest, sponsored by Food AND Medicine and the Eastern and Western Maine Labor Councils, is an effort to fight hunger and support families facing lay-offs and other hardships at Thanksgiving. For the past 10 years, individuals, unions, farmers, faith communities and businesses to come together to provide locally grown and purchased Thanksgiving meals to laid-off workers and families in hard times. Last year through our efforts, we distributed 550 meals to families across Maine.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Erin Sweeney at erin@foodandmedicine.org or 989-5860.

Press release from October 26, 2012

TOPSHAM, Maine –Food AND Medicine’s Solidarity Harvest is using a dollar-for-dollar matching grant of $5,000 from the workers’ rights law firm, McTeague Higbee to close in on its ambitious $30,000 goal to provide Thanksgiving baskets to over 1,000 laid off workers and their families this year. Food AND Medicine has currently raised $23,000. The money raised between now and November 18 will be matched by McTeague Higbee. This is the third year the firm has offered a matching grant to this program.

“We are proud to stand with Food AND Medicine, and the Eastern and Western Maine Labor Councils in support of such a worthy cause. As a firm that is dedicated to fighting for workers’ rights, we understand that now, more than ever, Maine’s families need our help,” notes Jeffrey Cohen, managing partner at McTeague Higbee. “Last year, with our matching grant, Food AND Medicine was able to not only provide baskets to over 500 families in Maine, but also support 20 Maine farms. Their goal this year is 1,000 baskets and we hope our grant will encourage even more businesses, union members, and individuals to step forward in solidarity and give what they can to help our neighbors in need.”

Food AND Medicine has organized the annual Solidarity Harvest since 2003. The event brings together unions, farmers, churches, and small businesses to create Thanksgiving baskets filled with local food to give to laid-off workers and families in difficult circumstances. Last year, Food AND Medicine distributed 550 baskets to families throughout Maine.

“We are so grateful for McTeague Higbee’s continued support of Solidarity Harvest for the last three years,” notes Erin Sweeney, organizer of Solidarity Harvest for Food AND Medicine. “Since all of the food in our baskets is grown and produced right here in Maine – we are not only supporting families in need in Maine but also the farming families in our state as well. Through these grants, we are able to expand our geographic reach, help more families in need, and support more Maine farms. Solidarity Harvest is based on a foundation of people acting together to support each other during the holiday season through difficult economic times.”

Individuals can donate as little as $30 to sponsor a basket for a family. To make a donation, volunteer or to request a basket, visit www.foodandmedicine.org.

About McTeague Higbee: McTeague Higbee, founded in 1976, is a plaintiffs-only firm dedicated to giving voice to people who often don’t have one. With experience in both state and federal courts including national litigation, McTeague Higbee has particular prominence in asbestos litigation, workplace discrimination, labor and employment litigation, workers’ compensation, construction accidents, and personal injury. For more information about McTeague Higbee, visit www.mcteaguehigbee.com.

Food AND Medicine has hired Erin Sweeney to lead our local agriculture programs, including our annual Solidarity Harvest and our new Half-Price EBT Fund. Erin comes to us from Northwestern Pennsylvania, where she organized a community garden and other local food educational programs. We are excited that she has decided to join our team at Food AND Medicine and the Greater Bangor community. She starts her work on August 29. After that date, you will be able to reach her at erin@foodandmedicine.org.

Please join us in giving Erin a warm welcome when you meet her.

Labor Day’s just around the corner and we have a great event planned. We’d love to see you there and it should be alot of fun! But we could use your help to make it possible. Call us at 989-5860 if you want to help out!

The event will take place Monday, September 3rd from 4:30 to 7:30 at the EMLC Solidarity Center, 20 Ivers St. in Brewer. Dinner will include locally grown burgers, homemade dishes and more. Please join Congressman Mike Michaud, Senate Candidate Emery Deabay, and special guests from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who’ve fought for and won better conditions for tomato pickers supplying some of the world’s largest food corporations.

Come celebrate Labor’s Day!

This year’s Solidarity Harvest Benefit Auction was our best yet! Over sixty people attended, and we made over $5,000 towards our tenth annual Solidarity Harvest. We had a great night and alot of fun, and we auctioned close to 200 items!

A special thanks to everyone who made it possible. Thanks to Bjorn Claeson, Char Childs, Heinrick Snyder, Julie Grab, Linda Fairbrother, Kevin and Jennifer Gregory, Margaret Derivera, and Penni Theriault for brining us some fantastic homemade meals and all of their help to set up the auction.

Another big thank you to Raven MacLeod, Scott Cuddy, Ray Ross, Bob Toole, Nicole Brown, Doug Annis, Doug Anis Jr., and Brenda Temple for all their help setting up the event.

Finally a huge thank you to Kevin Gregory for organizing the event, and for being a great auctioneer!

This list is probably not complete, so if we missed you sorry and thank you very much!

All proceeds go to support our 10th Annual Solidarity Harvest, which buys food from local farms and businesses to send quality, sumptuous Thanksgiving meal baskets to laid-off workers and other families in tough times throughout Maine. Every dollar will be matched by a $5,000 grant from law firm McTeague-Higbee!

This buildson the great success of last year’s Solidarity Harvest Benefit Auction, which enabled us to reach more families than ever, 550 families at Thanksgiving, from Lewiston to Bath to Millinocket, Bangor, Baileyville, and even Caribou.

Our goal this year is to reach out to 1100 families, which is double our record number of baskets in 2011.

Enjoy a 50% discount on your veggies by shopping with your EBT card at the Ohio Street Farmers’ Market and Bangor Farmers’ Market!

For the first time this year, Food AND Medicine is teaming up with both the Ohio Street Farmers’ Market and the Bangor Farmers’ Market to offer a 50% discount on all purchases made with your SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) benefits! This program was recently covered on WLBZ/WCSH and in the Bangor Daily News.

Visit the markets all summer long and bring your EBT card to get your 50% discount! This discount is being funded through FAM’s Bangor EBT Fund, which assures farmers still receive the full price.

The Ohio Street Farmers’ Market will be open each Wednesday from now till November, from 2-6 pm, and is located at the Bangor Grange Hall, 1192 Ohio Street, in Bangor.

The Bangor Farmers’ Market, new this year, is located in the Abbot Square Parking Lot across from the Bangor Public Library. It’s open on Sunday afternoons, now till November, from 12-3 pm.

All summer long, visit the markets and pay with your EBT card to receive HALF OFF your entire purchase!

There will be plenty of veggies, meats, cheeses, eggs and even some tinctures and salves to satisfy your every need from the market! Be sure to visit the Ohio Street Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and the Bangor Farmers’ Market on Sundays to meet your local farmer, support Maine agriculture and get a 50% discount off your purchase!

With questions about the Ohio Street Farmers’ Market, please contact Market Master Rolf Staples (Bangor Grange), at 973-3976.

With questions about the Bangor Farmers’ Market, please contact BFM Marketing Manager Clayton Carter (Fail Better Farm), at 951-5953.

With questions about how to use your SNAP/EBT benefits at the markets or how to donate to the Bangor EBT Fund to support 50% discounts at the Ohio Street Farmers’ Market, the Bangor Farmers’ Market, and Food AND Medicine’s USA program contact Alix Johns at Food AND Medicine at 989-5860 or alix@foodandmedicine.org.

Food AND Medicine’s Worker Center of Eastern Maine held a press conference to speak out about how LR 2787 would how injured workers.

Thanks to those who made the press conference possible:

•    Mark Richards, Dean Harding and Loren Snow, Workers’ Comp recipients who did a great job speaking about their experiences
•    Rev. Mark Doty who gave a hard hitting moral judgement on our position!
•    Matt Schlobohm- for supplying so much great information.
Press Coverage

• Bangor Daily News story on press conference: bangordailynews.com/2012/04/09/news/bangor/group-rallies-in-brewer-against-workers-compensation-cap/
• Bangor Daily News op-ed by Food AND Medicine Director Jack McKay: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/04/09/opinion/contributors/workers-compensation-change-no-help-to-hurt-workers/
• CBS Channel 5 (WABI) TV spot: http://www.wabi.tv/news/29158/proposal-to-revamp-workers-comp-system-in-maine-sparks-debate
• NBC Channel 2 (WLBZ) TV spot: http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/196873/3/Potential-changes-in-workers-compensation
• ABC/Fox Channels 5 & 7 (WVII) TV spot: http://www.wvii.com/stories.html?sku=20120409114612

WERU Community Radio and Cumulus Radio (they do about 4 stations) covered the event as well.

Farmer Labor Legislative Breakfast: Leveling the Playing Field

The third annual Food AND Medicine/ Eastern Maine Labor Council Legislative Breakfast occurred this past Saturday, despite a winter weather advisory, and 82 people–including 10 legislators–turned out.

There are critical issues at stake in Augusta (click here to see full list of issues). This breakfast was a great step in educating our legislators about working family and local agriculture issues.

All the legislators present (see list below) merit recognition for coming to the house of labor to hear our issues.  They respected us and showed a willingness to learn.  And some of them, as some admitted, have a great deal to learn.  Please contact them, thank them for coming and give your position on these issues. Please cc fam@foodandmedicine.org when you do.

Please click here to find your Senator and Representative and contact them about the issues listed here.

An amazing team of volunteers organized the event, spread the word and cooked up the pancake, egg, sausage, bacon and French toast breakfast with virtually all Maine-grown ingredients. Others researched the issues, invited legislators, or simply came. A huge thanks is due to all these folks who helped make Saturday possible.

For more info on all of these issues and on what more Food AND Medicine is doing, together with the Eastern Maine Labor Council, contact Jack McKay at 989-4141 or jack@foodandmedicine.org.

In Solidarity,

Food AND Medicine & the Eastern Maine Labor Council

Legislators Attending
Rep. Andy O’Brien (D-Lincolnville)
Rep. Stacy Guerin (R-Glenburn)
Rep. Adam Goode (D-Bangor)
Rep. Doug Damon (R-Bangor)
Sen. Nichi Farnham (R- Bangor, Hermon)
Rep. Jim Dill (D-Old Town)
Rep. Jim Parker (R-Bangor)
Rep. Ralph Chapman (D-Brooksville)
Rep. Dave Johnson (R-Eddington)
Rep. Paul Davis (R-Sangerville)