How You Can Help

What should I Give?

This work is made possible by community support, thank you for joining us in serving our neighbors.

Funds

Much of our inventory is purchased wholesale or at subsidized rates from Good Shepherd Food Bank. Through our purchasing channels, your dollar goes a long way to providing food for community members.

How to donate:

ONLINE through our secure website

BY MAIL by sending a check to P.O. Box 434 / Bar Harbor, ME 04609

IN-PERSON at the Pantry or Serendipity during open hours

Food

Community donations bring variety to our shelves and help us stock the pantry with items we aren’t able to source through our purchasing channels. 

What to donate:

Consider donating items we are not always able to purchase, such as:

  • Household cleaners

  • Coffee and tea

  • Pet food

  • Condiments, dressings, and spices

  • Baking items

  • Hygiene and personal care items

  • Gluten-free items

Other non-food items we are happy to receive are egg cartons, to repackage bulk eggs, and reusable grocery bags for customers to use in the pantry.

We cannot accept donations that are expired, opened, or unlabeled

Nobody understands giving quite like a gardener. Whether you have an abundance of zucchini or cucumbers to share or want to intentionally grow for the pantry, we greatly appreciate receiving locally grown produce.

#GrowARow

One of the easiest ways to donate is to simply pick up an extra of an item already on your shopping list. If you need it, odds are someone else does too. Drop off in our donation bin at the front entrance of Hannaford on your way out.

#DuplicateToDonate

Where to donate:

AT THE PANTRY

  • Located in the basement of the YWCA

  • Perishable and non-perishable items; please call ahead if you have a large refrigerated/frozen donation so we can ensure we have cold storage space

  • Donations accepted during business hours. To ensure food safety we cannot accept donations that are left outside

HANNAFORD DONATION BIN

  • Located by the front door at Hannaford

  • Non-perishable items only

  • Accessible during business hours.

YWCA DONATION BIN

  • Located by the front door at the YWCA

  • Non-perishable items only

  • Accessible during business hours.

Time

Our programs run on volunteer power. Share your time by volunteering at the Bar Harbor Food Pantry or Serendipity Resale Clothing Boutique.

Learn more about volunteer tasks and view open shifts below:

What do volunteers have to say?

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Skills

We are always seeking volunteers with expertise that can support our programming. Do you have writing, photography, design, or other talents to share? We’d love to get in touch.

Painting shopping bags with Conners Emerson students

Painting shopping bags with Conners Emerson students

Taste tests and recipe sharing with Maine Cooperative Extension

Taste tests and recipe sharing with Maine Cooperative Extension

Trail of Treats with Camp Beech Cliff

Trail of Treats with Camp Beech Cliff

Cooking class with SNAP Nutrition-Ed

Cooking class with SNAP Nutrition-Ed

Stone Soup Storytime and Meal with Jesup Memorial Library

Stone Soup Storytime and Meal with Jesup Memorial Library

Spread the word

Help us connect with new donors and volunteers. Click the photo below for a PDF flier to share with your church, school, or workplace, and share our social media posts with your followers to increase our reach.
We are so very grateful to our community and Bangor Savings Bank for the support! Thank you to all who voted for us to receive the Community Matters More Grant. 🫶
🌱🫶🌷🌞
Be safe and warm, everyone. The Pantry will be fully open Friday from 9a-12p for those who need it. Fresh food Friday will also happen at the same time.
If you have any empty egg cartons floating around after all that Easter egg decorating, we could really use them 🙏
We ran into a supply issue this month and could really use some donations of canned tuna. If you're able to donate a few, come say hi and drop them off at the pantry during open hours or leave in the bin at Hannaford. Thank you! ☺️
For the month of April, when you buy a $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag from Bar Harbor Hannaford, Bar Harbor Food Pantry will receive $1!
Does anyone have pigs or chickens? Unfortunately the pig farmer who was picking up our food waste buckets has gotten rid of their animals and we hate to throw organic waste in the trash 🥴 If so, please send us a PM, give us a call, or email Emily (
Have you heard about the upcoming class session with SNAP Nutrition Education? Learn about nutrition and preparing healthy meals for you and your family starting March 11th. Space is limited so sign up are required. Sign up at the pantry or by con
This Sunday! Winter Farmers & Crafters Market at the YWCA 😎 Use SNAP on tasty local produce and earn a dollar of Maine Harvest Bucks for every $2 spent!
We're feeling the LOVE Happy Valentine's Day all 💞
Please vote & share! We're on the ballot for Bangor Savings Bank Foundation's Community Matters More grant. Visit bangor.com/cmm to vote to get us a little closer to the $5,000 top grant prize. Vote daily through February!
You may have seen a new face around the pantry recently. If you haven't already, meet Freeman! Freeman is a Senior at College of the Atlantic joining us at the pantry as an intern. He'll be helping out in the pantry, lugging around bags of potatoes
We're running low on egg cartons; we'd love to reuse yours! Donate at the pantry during open hours or drop off in our donation bins at Hannaford and the YWCA.