Sharing a meal to strengthen food access
The fields of College of the Atlantic Beech Hill Farm set the table for the annual Share the Harvest Farm Dinner, an event that pairs local, organic food with meaningful support for food security on Mount Desert Island.
“We are able to build a tighter-knit community through sharing food and time together, advocating for one another, and focusing on building a more just and equitable food system that can provide fresh and organic produce to the MDI community” — Maddie Wall Crawford ’27.
The Share the Harvest Farm Dinner is set for Friday, July 17, beginning at 5 p.m. Following an opening reception and time on the farm, guests will enjoy a three-course dinner by Havana restaurant, a James Beard Award semifinalist owned by COA alumnus Michael Boland ’94. Reserve tickets at go.coa.edu/sharetheharvestdinner.
Led by COA students, Share the Harvest is the only direct farm‑based food access initiative serving the Mount Desert Island community. They are dedicated to making fresh, organic, locally grown produce more accessible to low-income residents on Mount Desert Island through Beech Hill Farm vouchers and home-delivered harvest boxes.
“They bring the food right to my door. It means a lot,” said Sylvester, a veteran and lifelong Mainer who participates in Share the Harvest.
The program partners with island food pantries and other organizations dedicated to ending hunger on MDI by filling critical gaps in access, sparking community conversations around food justice, and helping build a more equitable island food system. In Hancock County, nearly one in five children live in food-insecure households, according to the 2025 Food Insecurity Fact Sheet from maine.gov.
“It has been inspiring to see the community come out and support the program at each of our organized events,” said Share the Harvest coordinator Maddie Wall Crawford ’27. “Thanks to everyone who participates, we are able to build a tighter-knit community through sharing food and time together, advocating for one another, and focusing on building a more just and equitable food system that can provide fresh and organic produce to the MDI community.”
Farm dinner tickets are $200 per person. Last year’s dinner raised a net total of $30,000. Because Share the Harvest is student-run and intentionally lean, proceeds after event expenses go directly toward the program’s core purpose: purchasing produce from COA Beech Hill Farm for community members in need.