Since 2018, Open Table MDI has served more than 125,000 free meals to residents of Mount Desert Island and surrounding Hancock County communities. Each week, approximately 300 people gather at our Tuesday Supper, not just for food, but for connection, dignity, and belonging.
We serve a diverse cross-section of our community: families navigating financial hardship, older adults on fixed incomes, seasonal workers, and students, all welcome at the same table. Our restaurant-style setting, with china, tablecloths, and fresh flowers, reflects our belief that how we feed people matters as much as that we feed them.
In January 2026, we welcomed D Laninga as our Lead Chef and Community Coordinator. In just a few months, D has brought renewed energy, consistency, and vision to our program. She has quickly found her footing in the rhythm of weekly meal service, volunteer coordination, and food procurement, while also launching new outreach efforts specifically aimed at reaching elderly residents and others who may not hear about us through social media or email. Her approach is thoughtful, community-rooted, and forward-looking, and her presence has already been felt across every aspect of our work.
D’s arrival has also reinforced something that has always been true of Open Table MDI: we show up for our community, in whatever way is needed. During the most recent government shutdown, we resurrected our Neighbors Feeding Neighbors program, raising $16,000 and giving every dollar back to families and individuals on the island in the form of grocery store gift cards. And we are always dreaming of new ways to help. We are currently writing grant requests to bring a 24-hour mini-pantry to the island, a quiet, always-open resource where anyone in need can find non-perishable food, fresh produce, and frozen meals, on their own time and without having to ask.
In 2025 alone we served 15,300 meals, and despite a period of closure and the slower restart that came with it, we are on track to match that number in 2026. That our community has found its way back to the table is a testament to the resilience of this program and the people it serves. Under D’s leadership, we have begun taking the next step, expanding to the Quietside of the island with a satellite supper at St. John’s Church in Southwest Harbor, where we expect to serve an additional 1,500 meals before the end of 2026 to communities that have long faced transportation barriers to accessing our program.
Behind all of this is a board that has grown into its role with real intention. This year, our board has become a year-round fundraising presence, deepening their commitment to the individual donors and grant relationships that have long sustained us, while also forming a new sponsorship committee focused on building meaningful partnerships with local businesses. It is a quiet but significant shift, and one that strengthens the foundation everything else is built on.
Open Table MDI exists because food insecurity on this island is real, often invisible, and deserving of a warm and inclusive response. And it exists because of the generosity of donors like you who believe, as we do, that everyone deserves a seat at the table.
