Come Spring Food Pantry

06/23/2026

Come Spring Food Pantry will be open TOMORROW - Wednesday June 24th - from 10am - 1pm. We have a wide range of items to choose from including frozen meats, eggs, almond milk, cereal, pasta, mac & cheese, rice, beans, fresh, frozen & canned fruits & veggies, toiletries, and more!

All are welcome to shop at the pantry. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow 💚

06/22/2026

Some of the Girl Scout Troops in Knox County donated a variety of Girl Scout Cookies to the pantry recently!! 💚💚

We've been making sure everyone who comes to shop here gets to take some home so all that love is spread around!!

Thank You to ALL the Girl Scouts for ALL you do for your community 💚

06/22/2026

Thank you to our community for your continued support! The bins at Vose Library Union Maine have been full of wonderful donations - including some items from our tool list 💚

06/19/2026

Our hearts are always warmed when the folks (usually Jan and her son Bruce!!) from Peoples UMC of Union Maine come by to deliver the generous donations the congregation collects for us!

Everyone at the church has made it a core part of their mission to make sure there's enough healthy, nutritious food for our community. And they also send over "Birthday Boxes" (the sweet red and white striped boxes in the photo) regularly too - because celebrating your birthday with a cake, candles, and fun is also nutritious for us, in a whole different way 💚

We hope each of you there at PUMC knows what a difference you make for your neighbors. And how integral you are in ensuring our community is one filled with love and care for each other.

Thank you for all you do 💚

06/18/2026

We have a few things that we are low on that we could really use your help with! Our list this month includes:
Cereal & Other Breakfast Items, Noodle & Rice Mixes, Bakes Beans, Spices, Salt & Pepper, No Prep Meals ( rice bowls, hamburger helper, etc.), Pet Food & Treats, Laundry Detergent, Ground Coffee, Dish & Dishwasher Soap, and Toiletries (like toothpaste & toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc.)

We happily accept all other donations as well :)

Non-Perishable donations may be left in the blue bins located in the entryway of the Vose Library Union Maine

Perishable and Non-Perishable donations can be dropped off at Come Spring Food Pantry Tuesday mornings from 9-10am.

If these options don't work for you, please reach out at (207) 509-9211 and let's arrange something that does!

Thank you all for your continued support and generosity 💚
https://comespringfp.org/

06/17/2026

Huge thanks to the folks over at Hope General Store for their donations of Annie's Mac and Cheese! It's a favorite around here, and something they consistently donate to CSFP 💚 They sent over a bunch of tasty treats and other items too!!

Thank You for your continued support and generosity. 💚

06/16/2026

We wanted to share our most sincere thanks and deepest gratitude to everyone involved with the Midcoast Community Chorus

As many of you know, the MCC chose Come Spring Food Pantry and The Knox County Gleaners to be the recipients of their annual community grant for 2026. This past Sunday we had the chance to enjoy the concert they held in honor of this special award.

To say they blew us away would be an understatement! 💚

All of the singers - including soloists Michael Weferling of Camden, and Willow Watts of Lincolnville - made beautiful music together. And we know that doesn’t just happen. It requires a lot of hard work, practice, and dedication. It also takes leadership - and director Kim Murphy, accompanist Matt Mainster, and Executive Director Anna Jones - ensured everything went off without a hitch!

The title of the concert, "Justice for All", was very fitting, and echoed throughout the songs performed, stressing our shared desire for inclusivity, creating community, and working as a rising tide that lifts all boats. Among the attendees we noticed there was an air of people happy to have the opportunity to come together and hear incredible music, while honoring the commitment to serving everyone in need.

Add to all this that The Midcoast Community Chorus sings to raise money for other area non-profits - like us - and boy was this a special event indeed!

The impact they make with their music is significant too:
Not only did they award us a $5,000 grant, we raised over $700 from donations for baked goods at the concert too! PLUS they raised over $600 for us at the Growing Together event held in May. You all really have made a huge impact in the lives of SO many folks here in our community - and that's just for this year!!!! We're all just so incredibly grateful for this generous donation and your enthusiastic support of our food assistance work. Thank You to each of you for all you do! 💚

PS - We HIGHLY recommend that you attend a Midcoast Community Chorus concert and support this fantastic organization that exists to share music, and help their community while doing it! And, if you’ve always wanted to sing with a choir, or you just need some music in your life - join them! They’re a non-audition chorus, welcoming everyone. Learn more about their work in the community, and how to join in the fun at 🎼
https://www.mccsings.org/

06/12/2026

We just wanted to take one more opportunity to remind you that THIS SUNDAY - June 14th - at 4pm you can enjoy some wonderful music and support your community at the same time!!

Join us at the Strom Auditorium in Camden for this very special concert in support of Come Spring Food Pantry!

Find out more about the Midcoast Community Chorus, their upcoming concert, Justice For All (including where to get tickets!), and how they're using their voices to help the community - including us here at CSFP by visiting https://www.mccsings.org/

06/11/2026

The Knox County Gleaners Are Seeking Volunteers For The Season! We need folks to help plant, w**d, and harvest fields, as well as folks to clean and pack produce, and folks to deliver it all around the county! Visit
https://comespringfp.org/seeking-volunteers-for-the-knox-county-gleaners/ for more information on duties and how to apply.

06/11/2026

Super Helpful Info From Belfast Soup Kitchen regarding Best By, Use By, and all the other dates you find on food!

Ever looked at a container of yogurt or a pack of chicken, noticed it was one day past the date on the label, and thrown it straight into the trash? 🗑️

⚠️You might be tossing perfectly good food! ⚠️

Here is a major insider secret: with the exception of infant formula, these dates are NOT regulated by the government, and they are NOT safety dates. Manufacturers place them on packaging simply to estimate when the product will be at its peak quality and flavor. 😋

To save you money and reduce food waste, here is a quick cheat sheet on what those labels actually mean:

📅 "Best if Used By / Before": This is all about flavor and quality. It’s a guarantee from the manufacturer of when the food will taste its absolute best, not a purchase or safety deadline.

🏪 "Sell-By": This one isn't even meant for you! It tells the grocery store how long to display the item for inventory management. It is perfectly safe to buy and eat food past this date.

🥇 "Use-By": This is the last date the manufacturer recommends using the product while it's still at peak quality. Again, it's not a safety date (unless it's on infant formula, which should always be strictly followed! 🍼).

❄️ "Freeze-By": This tells you when you should get the product into the freezer to lock in that peak quality before it starts to degrade.

❓ So, how do we handle food? ❓
We strictly follow official food-safety guidelines, not marketing dates! Safe handling, proper refrigeration temperatures , and looking for actual signs of spoilage are what keep your kitchen safe.

Drop a 👍 if this helps clear up the confusion, and share this post to help your friends save money on their grocery bills this week! 👇