St. Mary's Nutrition Center
We believe deeply in the inherent worthiness of each person and work to create caring, safe environments where people can thrive. St. Mary's Nutrition Center (NC) places value in strengthening community connections, addressing root causes, nurturing a sense of place, and facilitating a deeper commitment to equity across our community. The NC was founded by St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston, Maine in 2006 to promote community health through organizing, advocacy and education. Although the NC was formed in 2006, it houses the Lots to Gardens program, which has provided gardening and food access programming in Lewiston since 1999.
The NC believes that everyone deserves access to healthy food, as a fundamental right. Failing to address this basic need has far-reaching impacts, for the individual and the community. The NC intentionally uses food as a tool for community building, leadership and youth development, and neighborhood revitalization. Through our work, we’ve realized that equity in our food system is deeply tied to inequity within our community and that a whole-person, and whole-community, approach is critical to creating long-term change. By weaving together direct support with education and community change strategies, the NC builds resiliency at an individual, family, and community level.
