Changing the Conversation About Food Insecurity

Food insecurity isn’t about failure. It isn’t laziness or bad choices. It’s life—and sometimes life throws challenges that are beyond anyone’s control.

For many of our neighbors, it takes only one unexpected expense—a car repair, a medical bill, a change in work hours—to mean the difference between having enough to eat and needing to ask for help. And asking for help can feel intimidating, even shameful.

At Heart of Maine Resource Center, we hope that our community will recognize that asking for help is okay. Families, seniors, and neighbors from all walks of life come for support—people working hard, people doing their best, people just one paycheck away from uncertainty. They come because they want to provide for their loved ones and keep their households going.

One of the most powerful things we can do as a community is encourage each other to ask for help when we need it. Food support isn’t charity—it’s connection. It’s neighbors looking out for neighbors. Everyone needs help at some point, and reaching out doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.

Our soon-to-open Client Choice Food Center is designed around this philosophy. Families will be able to pick the foods that fit their tastes, their culture, and their needs—just like shopping in a store—while knowing they are supported by a caring community.

This Hunger Action Month, let’s change the story around food insecurity. Let’s replace shame with empathy. Let’s make sure our neighbors know that asking for help is not only okay—it’s welcomed. We all succeed when we lift each other up.

How you can help:

💛 Offer kindness and understanding when neighbors reach out.

🥫 Volunteer or donate to help provide food with dignity.

🔗 Share this message to remind everyone in our community that it’s okay to ask for help.

Together, we can break the silence, honor the strength in asking, and build a community where everyone feels supported.