Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the residents of the Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle, and Stonington by mobilizing, supporting, and collaborating with community partners.

Programs We Fund

Success Stories.

The owner of Harborview Apartments, one of our longest running stops for the Magic Food Bus, recently wrote this in a letter, highlighting the impact of our programming:

” Harborview Apartments is a 40 unit subsidized senior citizen project located in Blue Hill. A good number of these residents have aged out in terms of social interaction and having the ability of seeking a source of fresh wholesome food on site since many no longer drive. The Magic Food Bus has been a godsend for these people particularly during these stressful Covid times.

Last summer, during the pandemic, there were over 200 total visits from Harborview residents to the Magic Food Bus. Following all necessary COVID precautions, the MFB arrived weekly to distribute healthy, fresh produce, nutrition information, and a friendly face during a turbulent and difficult time for the residents. Many of Harborview’s residents live alone, face increasing social isolation, in addition to the many other challenges of the pandemic. The consistency of MFB brought not only fresh, healthy food, but a much-needed social outlet as well.”

One of the Harborview residents continues to tell this story in her own words: “Anna [our Healthy Eating Program Coordinator] is an angel, without her Magic Bus coming I honestly don’t know if I’d see any of my neighbors and I certainly wouldn’t be eating this well.  She brings the most beautiful lettuce I have ever seen. Really helped me keep my weight down and you know heating oil is going to be trouble this year.”

A Magic Food Bus volunteer concurs: “I can’t tell you how much gratitude is expressed to me on a daily basis while doing this work. I asked Magic Food Bus visitors for some feedback and in response received a three-page letter describing how the program has allowed an elderly lady to ‘feel more secure about staying warm through the winter because I’ve been able to feed myself extremely well at no expense thanks to the Food Bus. I’ve even tried some new foods and am eating more vegetables, which my doctor says is good for my health condition… Thank you so much for the good work you do.”

The free meals and fresh produce we provide to residents at Harborview and our other community outlets can stretch limited budget dollars and reduce people’s need to choose between healthy foods and other pressing needs like medical attention or home heating.  The cheerful social interaction and nonjudgmental information-sharing provides a supportive, open environment for learning healthy habits.  These snapshots illustrate the effectiveness of our strategies for making sustainable change with regular, reliable, and supportive community-based programming.