UNE Assembles 200,000 Meals to Combat Food Insecurity: How the Meals for Maine Service Event Reaches Communities Across the USA

More than 500 volunteers will gather at the University of New England (UNE) on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, to assemble 200,000 nonperishable meals for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity across Maine. The annual Meals for Maine service event, the university’s signature volunteer initiative, will run on both the Biddeford and Portland campuses, with meals reaching communities in all 16 of Maine’s counties through a distribution partnership with the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation (MMCF).

This September effort is the largest single-day undertaking in the history of Meals for Maine, a program launched in 2023 that has now produced more than 550,000 meals statewide. For students, employees, and community members, the event offers a structured, measurable way to respond to food insecurity — a challenge that shapes health outcomes in every Maine county and in communities throughout the USA.

Register to volunteer for Meals for Maine at your preferred campus before spots fill — participation has grown every year since the program began.

Meals for Maine: From 250 Volunteers to a Statewide Service Effort

Meals for Maine started in 2023 with 250 volunteers packing 50,000 meals. The program has expanded steadily since then: approximately 100,000 meals were assembled in 2024, and 150,000 followed in September 2025 across UNE’s two coastal campuses.

The initiative took a major step forward in March 2026, when UNE joined forces with the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation to assemble an additional 50,000 meal kits at the Maine Masonic Temple in downtown Portland. That collaboration extended distribution to every county in Maine for the first time and set the stage for the Sept. 16 milestone: 200,000 meals packed in a single day.

The numbers tell a story of sustained institutional commitment. Cumulatively, Meals for Maine has now delivered more than 550,000 meals to Mainers facing hunger, and this year’s event will push that figure significantly higher. The growth reflects more than logistics — it demonstrates how a university can mobilize its entire community, from first-year undergraduates to senior faculty, around a concrete public health need.

Event Details: When and Where to Volunteer

The Sept. 16 service event will operate on both UNE campuses, giving volunteers flexible options to participate:

• Biddeford Campus: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Campus Center Gymnasium
• Portland Campus for the Health Sciences: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall, rooms 104 and 116

Participation is open to UNE students, faculty, and professional staff, as well as community volunteers. No prior experience is required — organizers provide training on-site, and volunteers work in assembly-line teams to measure, pack, seal, and box the meals. The evening session in Portland is specifically designed to accommodate graduate and professional students whose clinical rotations and coursework fill daytime hours.

Have questions about volunteering or registering a group? Contact UNE’s Office of Service Learning, which coordinates the event alongside the Office of Student Life.

Food Insecurity as a Public Health Priority

Food insecurity — defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food — affects physical health, mental well-being, and academic and workplace performance. Research consistently links unreliable access to nutritious food with higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, along with poorer outcomes in childhood development. In rural states like Maine, where transportation barriers and seasonal employment can compound the problem, the connection between food access and community health is especially pronounced.

That connection is central to why UNE, as Maine’s largest independent university and the state’s top provider of health professionals, has made food insecurity the focus of its flagship service event. Trisha Mason, M.A., director of Service Learning at UNE, has emphasized that the event gives students from every academic program the chance to work alongside fellow volunteers while responding to a need that directly affects the health and well-being of Maine communities.

For students training to become physicians, dentists, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses, and public health practitioners, the event provides a firsthand look at a social determinant of health they will encounter throughout their careers. Meals for Maine lets students see those connections in practice — and take part in a coordinated response with measurable, statewide impact.

Reaching All 16 Maine Counties With the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation

Assembling meals is only half the challenge; getting them to the people who need them requires an equally reliable network. The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation’s statewide infrastructure addresses that need. Through its lodge network, MMCF delivers meal kits to food pantries, community organizations, and families across the state — from southern Maine’s population centers to remote communities in northern and eastern counties.

The partnership illustrates a practical lesson for any institution planning large-scale service work: distribution deserves as much attention as production. UNE’s decision to build the collaboration early, test it during the March 2026 event, and then scale up for September allowed the university to expand its reach without overextending its own logistics.

Honoring the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

Meals for Maine is part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, one of the largest community service efforts in the USA, held each year to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This year’s observance marks the 25th anniversary, and UNE’s event joins commemorative service activities taking place across the country.

UNE is one of only a handful of schools nationwide to receive funding for its meal-kit initiative from the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance organization, with support from federal AmeriCorps funds and the Popeye’s Foundation. Notably, the university is among the smallest of the institutions nationally to receive this recognition — an indication that a focused, well-organized effort at a mid-sized university can stand alongside far larger programs.

What Students Gain From Participating in the Service Event

Beyond the meals themselves, the event delivers lasting value to the students who take part:

• Applied understanding of social determinants of health. Students in health sciences programs observe how food access shapes the well-being of the populations they will serve.
• Interprofessional collaboration. Volunteers from UNE’s medical, dental, pharmacy, physician assistant, and undergraduate programs work side by side, mirroring the team-based care models used in modern clinical practice.
• Leadership and teamwork experience. Assembly lines depend on volunteers who can organize, count, quality-check, and maintain momentum across a multi-hour shift.
• Connection to community. The initiative reflects UNE’s emphasis on linking student learning with the needs of the places where students live, learn, and will ultimately work.

Mason has noted that Meals for Maine grows each year because students and community members continue to show up for their neighbors. That consistency has turned a one-day service event into a recurring institution — and, for many students, a formative experience that shapes how they approach their future roles as health professionals and citizens.

Explore UNE’s academic programs and service learning opportunities to see how community engagement is woven into the student experience across disciplines.

How Other Communities Can Organize a Similar Meal-Packing Service Event

Institutions and community groups elsewhere in the USA looking to launch a comparable initiative can draw several lessons from UNE’s model:

• Start with a measurable target. UNE’s first goal — 50,000 meals with 250 volunteers — was ambitious but achievable, and it established credibility for future growth.
• Build distribution partnerships early. The MMCF collaboration turned a campus event into a statewide effort. Identify organizations with existing networks before scaling up production.
• Pursue national service funding. Programs tied to recognized observances, such as the 9/11 National Day of Service, may qualify for grants through AmeriCorps and affiliated foundations.
• Schedule for accessibility. Offering sessions at different times of day — UNE runs a midday event in Biddeford and an evening event in Portland — removes barriers for working students, employees, and community volunteers.
• Report results transparently. Publishing meal counts and county-by-county reach builds public trust and makes it easier to recruit volunteers and sponsors year after year.

Join the Sept. 16 Service Event at UNE

The Meals for Maine event on Sept. 16 offers a direct, hands-on way to address food insecurity while working alongside hundreds of fellow volunteers. Whether you are a current UNE student, a prospective applicant evaluating universities based on community engagement, or a Maine resident looking for a meaningful way to serve, the event welcomes your participation.

Take the next step: Register to volunteer for the Sept. 16 service event, plan a visit to UNE’s Biddeford or Portland campuses to see the university’s community-first approach firsthand, or request information about admission and financial aid. Have questions? Write to the Office of Service Learning or the Office of Student Life for details on group registration, sponsorship, and upcoming events.

Every meal packed on Sept. 16 will reach a household somewhere in Maine’s 16 counties. Together, more than 500 volunteers will turn a few hours of work into 200,000 meals — a concrete demonstration of what a university community can accomplish when it organizes around a shared purpose.

Share this article with classmates, colleagues, friends, and family who may want to volunteer, and help Meals for Maine reach its largest audience yet.