Maine Hunger Dialogue 2025

2030, It’s Closer Than You Think

Friday, October 17, 2025, 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.
Hildreth Hall, Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, Maine

Free!

This conference is free to attend, and all meals are included. Limited assistance for travel and accommodations is available for students coming from a great distance (more than 2.5 hours). Contact Sally Slovenski at the Campus Compact for more information.

Please register by October 10 as space is limited.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the Campus Compact, and with generous sponsorship by Sodexo, has offered the Maine Hunger Dialogue (MHD) since 2014. This year, in light of the changes in the food security and food systems landscape, the MHD has evolved into a smaller, more focused exchange. Many goals still remain, including Maine’s goal to end Hunger with 2030 as a deadline, and the cohort in college today will have just graduated or will be graduating shortly. Now is a good time to talk about a strategy for the years leading up to 2030.

Students and faculty/staff across the state’s colleges are invited to participate in this exchange, featuring speakers, hands-on breakout sessions, and the option to apply for a grant around the topics of Hunger and Systems change in the campus community. At the event, they will:

Learn from experts about hunger and today’s food system landscape.
Learn how to apply for grants to support projects that address food security on campus or in their community.
Participate in a hunger-related service project.

Students can attend as individuals, but team participation with a faculty mentor is encouraged.

Donors/sponsorships of Mini-Grants or school teams are still being accepted. For more information, contact 207.581.8211; lynne.holland@maine.edu.

Since 2014, the Maine Hunger Dialogue has given over 55 Mini-grants funding things like student research, campus community gardens, and campus fridges. Grantees have been as young as 10 years old and as old as graduate students. Recognizing that students are the best people to recognize the needs, these grants serve as a springboard for new ideas or research. 2025 Mini-Grant applications will be provided following the MHD. More information to follow.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Lynne Holland, 207.581.8211 or lynne.holland@maine.edu.

Co-sponsoring institutions: University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Southern Maine Community College, and Campus Compact.

Fiscal sponsors: Sodexo, University Credit Union, Hannaford, and the Maine 4-H Foundation

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).