Wayside Food Programs hosts first of 4 free picnics this summer
Wayside Food Programs volunteer Mike Pottle, left, serves picnic attendee Bode Rogers at Payson Park Community Garden on Monday. (Chloe Liversidge/Staff Writer)
PORTLAND — Fresh meals, live music and community partners drew people to Payson Park Community Garden on Monday evening for the first of four free summer picnics hosted by Wayside Food Programs.
Community Programs manager Meadow Thompson said Wayside’s 20-plus volunteers and a growing list of community partners collaborated to bring Monday’s event to life for the ninth year.
The free-to-all dinner from Wayside, which rescues surplus food from grocery stores and farms and redirects it to local pantries and soup kitchens, was made from salvaged food that fed over 100 guests, according to Chris Wilkes, public relations and marketing manager for the organization. He said it was the biggest turnout he’s seen at one of the Payson Park picnics.
Returning musical guest, fiddler Fiona Shubeck, serenaded attendees as they ate barbecue staples like drumsticks, coleslaw, potato salad and sliced fruit, and joined in bouquet-making with Mt. Joy Orchard, free produce shopping with The Locker Project, a compost-sorting challenge with Garbage to Garden and other backyard games.
“These picnics are an amazing way to nourish families in a fun, uplifting and musical environment,” Thompson said. “It’s a place to get a wonderful, home-cooked meal — and a place where everyone is welcome.”
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Thompson said picnics began in 2017 with a vision to gather locals for a shared meal, and connect them with partnering healthy living resources, including Cultivating Community, which manages the four community gardens that will serve as the picnic venues; The Book Fairy, the Children’s Museum and the City of Portland Sustainability Office.
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According to Thompson, Wayside’s newest partnership is with Portland Gear Hub, a nonprofit community bike and outdoor gear shop.
At Payson Park, James O’Donnell, director of Portland Gear Hub, fixed attendees’ bikes for free.
“What we do with bikes, recovering them from landfills and fixing them up for the community, Wayside essentially does with food,” O’Donnell said. “We’re kindred in that way.”
James O’Donnell, director of Portland Gear Hub, explains bike repairs to a picnic attendee on Monday. (Chloe Liversidge/Staff Writer)
O’Donnell said he sees the picnics as a chance to widen the Gear Hub’s community impact, reaching people — especially kids and commuter cyclists who rely on their bikes for transportation — who can’t get to the flagship location in the city’s East End.
“Our goal is for everyone to have the means and knowledge to take care of their bikes and keep riding,” he said.
O’Donnell, who fixed eight bikes on Monday, said he was glad to be busy the entire evening. He said repairs included putting air in tires, lubricating chains and replacing brakes and cables. His pop-up repair clinic will be at every Wayside picnic this summer, he said.
Upcoming Pop Up Picnics will be at Casco Bay Community Garden on July 20, Brentwood Farms Community Garden on Aug. 3 and Boyd St. Community Garden on Aug. 17. The 2026 musical lineup includes Ideal Maine Band, Desert Blues and The Flukes.
For more information, visit Wayside’s website.
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Tagged: bikes, biking, community garden, composting, food, food security, live music, local music, summer 2026
Chloe Liversidge, from Los Angeles, is a rising senior at Colgate University, where she will serve next year as editor in chief of Maroon-News. She is a general assignment intern for the Press Herald. More by Chloe Liversidge
