Catholic Charities Maine Expands Food Distribution Network as Federal Aid Declines in Aroostook County

MONTICELLO, Maine — In a warehouse stacked floor-to-ceiling with bales of used clothing, bins of cardboard, and shelves stocked with food, Catholic Charities Maine is working to fill a growing gap in Aroostook County's food security.

The nonprofit, which operates facilities in Monticello and Caribou, distributes between 110,000 and 155,000 pounds of food each month to 29 partner pantries, schools, and medical clinics across one of Maine's most rural counties. Funding for this operation comes from an unusual combination: revenue from on-site thrift shops and recycling programs, supplemented by donations from truckers passing through with excess cargo and produce from local farms.

This summer, the organization expects to significantly expand its capacity with the addition of a 31,000-cubic-foot freezer at its Monticello location, large enough to store food from nearly eight 18-wheelers. The new infrastructure will allow Catholic Charities to pursue larger frozen food donations and eliminate the need to rent refrigerated trailers, a costly workaround the organization has relied on when receiving large perishable items.

"People can fall through the cracks pretty easily here," said Jon Blanchard, program director of hunger and relief services at Catholic Charities Maine. "It's basically a small city spread across a giant land area."

That land area — Aroostook County — covers 6,450 square miles with a population of just 67,000. Despite its sparse population, the county maintains more food pantries per capita than anywhere else in Maine, a necessity in a region where driving distances can determine whether someone eats.

Growing Demand, Shrinking Resources

The pressure on these pantries has intensified as federal nutrition programs have pulled back. SNAP enrollment in Aroostook County fell below 13,000 recipients last November — the first time in four years — and has declined every month since. Nearly one in five county residents now relies on the program, among the highest rates in Maine.

Federal cuts have compounded the problem. The Trump administration reduced Emergency Food Assistance Program funding by $500 million nationally — a 50 percent cut — more than a year ago. Maine received 25 percent less food through the program in 2025 than the previous year, and the first five months of 2026 have brought less than two-thirds of what the state received during the same period last year.

"It's unacceptable to have an increased need in the state and distribute less food," said Heather Paquette, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, which works with 600 partner agencies statewide, including Catholic Charities. "So that means that the team needs to find creative — and has found creative — ways to bring in more funding that we can use to purchase food."

The squeeze has touched every level of the supply chain. Good Shepherd, based in Auburn, coordinates with Catholic Charities to distribute food across Aroostook's scattered communities. Each month, Catholic Charities receives roughly 750 boxes of food for residents 60 and older through a federal commodity program. Much of the rest arrives via 53-foot trailers that leave Good Shepherd's warehouse at 4 a.m. to reach northern Maine in time for monthly pickup days.

On a late May morning, volunteers Cliff Cyr and Jim Cyr drove an hour from Madawaska to Catholic Charities' Caribou warehouse to load food for St. Thomas Aquinas food pantry. Their haul — bound for pantries in Frenchville and Madawaska — included a final pallet of locally grown potatoes that brought their total to 10 pallets.

The Madawaska pantry is now distributing 15 to 20 more boxes per month than when Cliff Cyr began volunteering three years ago, a reflection of the broader surge in need across the region.

Pantries Adapt and Innovate

In Presque Isle, Gail Bellamy, pastor of Family Christian Center, launched a new food pantry this spring after realizing residents sometimes had to travel up to 20 miles for help. The pantry served nearly 100 people in each of its first two months.

"In America, nobody should be hungry," Bellamy said. "We're supposed to take care of one another. We're just trying to live out our Christianity in kindness and in charitable works."

Three miles away, Grace Interfaith Food Table serves between 250 and 300 people monthly. Director Marcia Cogswell said the pantry has increasingly had to purchase its own food rather than rely on Catholic Charities or Good Shepherd, and frozen meat has become a rarity. During a May distribution, she bought eggs from a store to meet demand.

"We've had to cut back," Cogswell said. "A lot of people are really understanding, and they're grateful for what little bit we can give."

Caribou United Baptist Church Food Pantry has faced similar constraints. The pantry receives about 35 percent of its food through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program — half what it used to get — and now spends roughly $500 per month covering food purchases and operational costs.

Families on the Front Lines

For George Woodman of Presque Isle, these changes are not abstract statistics. His household of 10 — which includes six children and a grandson — relies on both SNAP benefits and the Grace Interfaith Food Table. A box from the pantry typically stretches a week. Over the past year, his monthly SNAP allocation has dropped from around $1,200 to below $800.

Nationwide, a February Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey found that more families are missing meals or receiving food donations than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend driven by stricter SNAP work requirements and rising costs for basics like gas and groceries.

Despite these headwinds, Catholic Charities' new freezer represents a bet on growth rather than retreat. The facility, expected online this summer, will give the nonprofit flexibility to store larger frozen donations and solicit new partnerships.

For now, the work continues one pallet at a time — in warehouses, church basements, and truck beds making their way across Aroostook's vast emptiness.