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Lewiston Food Pantry Faces Funding Cut After Auburn Restaurant Fire

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  Published in Food and Wine on Thursday, November 13th 2025 at 20:07 GMT by WGME

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Lewiston Food Pantry Faces Funding Cut Amid Auburn Fire Aftermath

A small food pantry in Lewiston that has been a lifeline for hundreds of low‑income families is now confronting the possibility of losing crucial state and local funding after a kitchen fire at Auburn’s Kaydenz restaurant caused extensive damage to the pantry’s shared cooking space. Local officials, nonprofit leaders, and community volunteers are scrambling to find a solution before the pantry’s services collapse entirely.

The Fire and the Kitchen’s Collapse

On the evening of March 12, a kitchen fire broke out at Kaydenz, a popular Auburn eatery located on Main Street. The blaze, which firefighters report was caused by a faulty electrical outlet in the commercial kitchen, scorched the restaurant’s galley and gutted the adjacent space that the Lewiston Community Food Bank—often simply called the Lewiston Pantry—had been using for meal preparation. A quick photo of the charred floor and broken equipment in the pantry’s own social‑media feed sparked immediate concern among volunteers and local residents.

The pantry’s kitchen, which had operated under a temporary lease from the Kaydenz property owner, is essential to meeting the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) strict standards for “licensed” food‑service facilities. Those standards include requirements for sanitation, food‑storage temperatures, and fire‑safety measures that the damaged space can no longer guarantee. Because the pantry can’t meet the DHHS standards without a certified kitchen, the state’s Emergency Food Assistance program—worth roughly $2.3 million for the 2024 fiscal year—could be retracted.

Funding at Risk

The Lewiston Pantry has relied on a mix of city, state, and private funds to keep its doors open. City of Lewiston officials had earmarked $75,000 for the pantry’s operations for 2024, while the DHHS granted $1.1 million under the state’s emergency food assistance initiative. In addition, a local corporate sponsor, the Lewiston‑Auburn Food Bank, had pledged $250,000 to help cover staffing and logistics.

City Councilmember Maria Ramirez, who sits on the council’s budget subcommittee, said the pantry “is a critical part of our social safety net.” However, she also explained that the council cannot fund an operation that no longer meets health and safety regulations. Ramirez said the council is considering “alternative ways to support the pantry,” such as providing a grant for a temporary kitchen or reimbursing the pantry for renting space elsewhere.

Similarly, the DHHS has issued a letter to the pantry’s director, Sarah Jenkins, stating that if the pantry cannot secure a licensed kitchen by July 1, its funding will be terminated. Jenkins emphasized that the pantry’s staff has been working nonstop to secure a new space, but the market for commercial kitchens in Lewiston is tight, especially in the wake of the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Community Response

In the days since the fire, local residents and volunteers have organized fundraisers and donated fresh produce. A group of local chefs, including a former executive chef from Kaydenz, have pledged to donate cooking equipment and assist in setting up a new kitchen in a vacant church hall at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The church, which recently completed renovations, has a fully licensed kitchen that could serve the pantry's needs for the short term.

The Lewiston Daily Sun has reported on a grassroots fundraising event slated for April 15, featuring a “Chef’s Table” dinner hosted by local restaurants to raise money for the pantry’s relocation costs. In addition, the Maine Food Bank’s “Sustaining Meals” program—linking to the Food Bank of Maine’s website—has indicated willingness to extend emergency lines of credit to help cover the pantry’s relocation expenses.

A local food‑bank partner, the Maine Community Services Alliance, has also offered logistical support. Their executive director, Alan Cho, said, “We’re exploring the possibility of pooling resources with other regional food banks to secure a shared kitchen space. If we can get the pantry up and running again, we can mitigate the loss for our own clients.”

Implications for Low‑Income Residents

The Lewiston Pantry has served approximately 1,200 individuals each month, with a significant portion of those residents depending on the pantry for protein‑rich meals and fresh produce. The pantry’s website, updated with a note from Jenkins, states that “without a functioning kitchen, we can only offer pre‑packed meal kits—an option that is far less nutritious and costly for families.” In an interview with the Lewiston Tribune, a local advocate for food‑security, Dr. Lina Patel, emphasized that “any interruption in services will directly affect children in schools, seniors in assisted living facilities, and unemployed workers seeking emergency assistance.”

The city’s emergency food assistance guidelines, detailed on the city of Lewiston’s official website (link provided in the article), stipulate that a pantry must provide meals that meet specific nutritional standards. “If the pantry can’t meet those standards, we’ll have to look at alternatives,” said City Clerk James O’Connor. He added that the city is exploring a temporary partnership with the neighboring town of Auburn to use the Kaydenz kitchen, pending cleanup and safety compliance.

The Path Forward

The pantry’s leadership has set a hard deadline for July 1 to secure a licensed kitchen. Jenkins said she is coordinating with state officials, the city council, and private donors to ensure the pantry’s survival. “We’re actively negotiating leases for an alternate kitchen in a commercial space on Main Street, and we are also exploring a partnership with the Lewiston‑Auburn Food Bank for shared kitchen hours,” she explained.

While the pantry’s future remains uncertain, the story underscores how quickly a community’s safety net can fray when a single facility is compromised. It also highlights the importance of diversified funding and robust contingency planning for food‑security organizations in the state.

For further information about the city’s emergency food assistance program and funding requirements, readers can visit the City of Lewiston’s official emergency services page, linked in the original article. The Maine Food Bank’s website also provides guidance on how community partners can support local food pantries during crises.