UNE Doubles Meal Kits at Second Meals for Maine Event

Sofia Circosta’s experience growing up in a low-income region of Connecticut gave her a keen understanding of the importance of helping neighbors in need. So, Circosta ’27 wanted to do just that in her first semester at the University of New England, where she came to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  

Circosta got her chance at the second-annual Meals for Maine event held on Sept. 18 on the UNE Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. More than 150 students, faculty, professional staff, and community volunteers came together in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall for the second year to help meet Maine’s goal of ending hunger in the state by 2030. 

“Growing up in a low-income area, my family applied for free heat. Now this is an opportunity to give back,” Circosta said. “This atmosphere is amazing. I’m definitely going to do this next year.” 

Last year, volunteers from the University community assembled over 52,000 meal kits on the Portland campus for Mainers facing hunger. This year, embracing its “ONE UNE” mantra, the UNE community worked on both the Portland and Biddeford campuses to double the amount of packaged food kits — packaging a staggering 103,000 meals to donate to vulnerable groups, such as new refugee families, children, and older adults. 

The University packaged rice-beans-and-vegetable meals with funding from the 9/11 National Day of Service organization, The Pack Shack’s “Feed the Funnel” Grant Program, AmeriCorps, and MyGoodDeed, making UNE one of just 10 colleges or universities to receive a 9/11 remembrance grant — and one of the smallest institutions to be recognized in its effort to end hunger nationwide. 

In packaging 103,000 meal kits in one day for those in need, UNE put forth the same effort as school’s two or three times its size, such as The Ohio State University and Illinois State University, a point of pride for Trisha Mason, M.A., director of the Office of Service Learning within the UNE Westbrook College of Health Professions and the event’s founder.  

When Mason addressed the crowd of volunteers on the evening of Sept. 18, she told them Meals for Maine’s momentum will continue — she has already begun securing funding for next year’s event. 

“Two years ago, I applied for a grant to package 50,000 meals here. I wasn't sure if we would get it, I wasn't sure if we could do it. And now here we are for the second year,” Mason said. “What convinced me that we could do it is our community. 

“We are small, but we are mighty.” 

In fact, the event drew so many volunteers, it couldn’t accommodate all those who wanted to help, said UNE President James Herbert, Ph.D., when he addressed the crowd before starting the evening with a ceremonial strike of a giant gong. 

“One of the things I love about UNE is our commitment to civic engagement,” said Herbert. “The fact that we put together something like this and so many people show up … It goes to show the Nor'easter spirit is about trying to do our part to make the world a better place and to address critical issues that we face right here in Maine, regionally, nationally, and internationally.” 

The event also received assistance from the UNE Office of Student Engagement, the Division of Student Affairs, Undergraduate Student Government, and Graduate and Professional Student Association. Some of the community volunteers came to help were from local sponsor organizations, such as Bangor Savings Bank, SunLife/RMS Fullscope and Clark Insurance. The Maine Department of Corrections sent a half dozen staff from its Portland and Biddeford offices to help scoop rice, beans, and dehydrated vegetables for the food kits. 

Kim Carson, a regional correctional administrator with the Maine Department of Corrections, said many of the clients under community supervision benefited from the healthy meal kits last year. 

“They’re quick meals for those who are unhoused or for those who are struggling financially,” Carson said. “A lot of our clients are parents or single parents struggling to make ends meet. They’re very appreciative. This week we gave out meals from the last box from last year’s event.” 

Meals for Maine’s goal to tackle food insecurity is in line with UNE’s goal to improve the health of people, communities, and the natural world. As the largest independent university in Maine, UNE’s educational mission is focused on planetary health, a trans-disciplinary field that incorporates the connections between human health and the natural sciences. 

But the event also was held as part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance taking place throughout the country to unite people in the spirit of service — which is what drew Patrick Burns (Physician Assistant, ‘26).  

After volunteering at similar events in Philadelphia during his undergraduate years at Villanova University, Burns was inspired to continue that tradition of service at UNE after seeing Meals for Maine posters on campus. He came to the event with seven friends who are also pursuing degrees at UNE in the health sciences.  

During the event, UNE’s Girard Innovation Hall hummed like a dance club with speakers beating with songs from Beyonce, giving Meals for Maine more of a block-party feel — not a bad thing, Burns noted. 

“It’s pretty fun. It’s not at all what I expected,” Burns said. “They definitely have this down to a science. And doing it with friends, it’s a lot more enjoyable.” 

Read press coverage in WGME CBS 13 (Sept. 18, 2024), NEWS CENTER Maine (Sept. 19, 2024), Portland Press Herald (Sept. 20, 2024), 207 (Sept. 25, 2024), and The Courier (Sept. 23, 2024).