The holidays are supposed to be a restful time of peace and joy, but the festive season is simply no fun without an equally festive meal. Fortunately, there are lots of options for finding a warm, delicious, and free meal in Waldo County for Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2022. Multiple organizations are offering free onsite dining with all the fixin’s, from turkey and cranberry sauce to mashed potatoes and gravy. Further, there’s a massive community effort to deliver baskets full of holiday groceries right to your front door through the Heroes for Hunger (H4H) and Neighbor for Neighbor (N4N) programs.

Below, find all of the details to access a tasty meal this holiday season. Note some are first come, first served and may require filling out a little paperwork or making a reservation in advance. 

Holiday Grocery Baskets and Gifts Delivered Directly to Your Door

For more than 20 years, the Heroes for Hunger (H4H) program has provided free grocery baskets for the holidays in Waldo County. Find the applications for the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets online here; thankfully, they’re brief and should only take a few minutes to fill out. The deadline to apply for a Thanksgiving basket is November 1, 2022, and for a Christmas basket, it’s December 1, 2022 – so don’t delay! The baskets are offered first come, first served. As part of the application, you can also apply to receive toys for your kids through the Neighbor for Neighbor (N4N) program (see details below).

Where to Find Free Holiday Meals in Waldo County in 2022

Published October 14, 2022

Updated December 12, 2022

By Mattie John Bamman

Here are all of the details you need to take part in these long-standing holiday traditions.

The Heroes for Hunger and Neighbor for Neighbor programs are a huge community effort. Organizations around the county share the applications in their communities, and, after they’re filled out, Waldo Community Action Partners (WaldoCAP) gathers and processes the data. Local grocery stores pack the baskets, and volunteers – from volunteer firefighters to members of the local YMCA – deliver the groceries and toys direct to recipients’ doors. You can still pick up a basket at a local site if you prefer, but it’s actually better for the program organizers to deliver the baskets. Each basket features the same holiday foods, such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie. 

Marina Kinney, development director at WaldoCAP, expects Heroes for Hunger to provide close to 1,500 baskets this year. “The baskets are offered first come, first served, but, if someone needs food, we will make every effort to deliver a basket to them for the holidays,” she said.

Recipients have said the holiday meals allowed them to spend time with their children and grandchildren and find peace of mind to enjoy the season. One recipient wrote, “This program really made a huge difference. My children had a good Christmas!” 

The complementary Neighbor for Neighbor program also provides toys for Christmas. If you are a program recipient, you can provide a wishlist of gifts, and a local business will purchase the gift or gifts for your kids to enjoy on Christmas morning. Apply using the same application as above.

If you are a local business and would like to support the N4N program, you can sponsor one or more local children by joining the Neighbor for Neighbor Coalition. Some of the organizations that regularly provide financial support to N4N include the Belfast Rotary Club, Athena Health, Revision Energy, and the Crossroads to Calvary Church. Local organizations supporting H4H include Swan Lake Grocery, Toziers Family Markets, Wentworth Family Grocery Brooks, Wentworth Family Grocery Northport, staff from the Belfast team of Better Homes & Gardens, staff from First National Bank, and members of the Belfast Lions Club, as well as students and individuals.

Heroes for Hunger uses individual donations to fund the holiday food baskets. If able, please make a donation today.

Free Onsite Holiday Dining in 2022

The Open Door Soup Kitchen

180 Depot St., Unity, ME 04899

The Open Door Soup Kitchen has served warm holiday meals to its guests for nearly 20 years, and this year, it is offering free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals onsite in Unity. Thanksgiving dinner will be served on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022, and Christmas dinner will be offered on Thursday, December 22, 2022. Please call The Open Door at your earliest convenience to reserve a meal at 207-948-6232.

Northport volunteers pack holiday grocery boxes as part of Heroes for Hunger. Photo courtesy of WaldoCAP.

Volunteers prepare roasted turkey for guests at the Belfast Soup Kitchen. Photo courtesy of the Belfast Soup Kitchen

The Belfast Soup Kitchen

31 Belmont Ave., Belfast, ME 04915

The happening Belfast Soup Kitchen is also serving Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners onsite. The Thanksgiving meal will be offered on Wednesday, November 23, between 11am and 1pm. Prepare for roasted turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a dinner roll, with pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. No reservation is needed, and guests may take a meal home for the holiday on the following day, too. 

The Belfast Soup Kitchen will offer a free onsite meal for Christmas on Friday, December 23, between 11am and 1pm this year. Get ready for baked ham, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, and warm rolls. Extra meals will be available, if needed, too. No reservation is needed.

Christmas Supper at Belfast United Methodist Church

23 Mill Ln, Belfast, ME 04915

For the first time in two years, the Belfast United Methodist Church is offering a free Christmas supper with turkey, ham, mashed potato, stuffing, gravy, carrots, applesauce, cranberry sauce, beverages, and dessert. It takes place on Saturday, December 17th at 5pm, and folks will begin gathering at 4:30pm. The church writes, “There will be Christmas music and decorations to welcome folks. Come, bring family and friends, as we celebrate our first supper gathering in over 2 years! We look forward to seeing you! The church is located on 23 Mill Lane in East Belfast.”

Christmas Day Free Community Meal at First Church in Belfast

8 Court Street, Belfast, ME 04915

On Christmas Day, enjoy a free community meal from 11:30am to 1:00pm at the First Church in downtown Belfast. The First Church in Belfast welcomes all to attend, and the chef will provide roast turkey and baked ham with "a wide selection of delicious sides" as well as desserts and drinks. Join in the gathering through the church's Spring Street entrance – the meal will be served in the Parish Hall.

Lincolnville Thanksgiving Feast at Bayshore Baptist Church

3/4 of a Mile North of Lincolnville on Route 1

On Wednesday, November 23, the Bayshore Baptist Church is serving a community Thanksgiving feast from 5-7pm. The meal is free and open to anyone, and leftovers will be packaged up and sent home. RSVP using this link. Unable to make it to the dinner but would still like a holiday meal? The church will deliver food direct to your door. To secure a delivered meal, call (207) 505-5697.

Waldo County Woodshed "Pay What You Can Cafe"

at Riverside Farm, 1430 Moody Mountain Road, Searsmont, ME 04973

From 2-4pm on Thanksgiving Day, Waldo County Woodshed is offering a donation-based holiday meal with smoked, roasted, and fried turkey and lots of side dishes. The meal is first-come, first served, and space is limited. All proceeds support the Woodshed and help to keep our neighbors warm.

If you know of another free holiday offering this season, please let us know by emailing waldocountybounty@gmail.com and we will add it to this article.