Founded by the late Barbara Jo Peppey in 2001, Healthy Peninsula is a 501C)(3) nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the residents of Blue Hill, Penobscot, Surry, Castine, Brooklin, Sedgwick, Brooksville, Deer Isle, and Stonington for over two decades. By collaborating with community partners, Healthy Peninsula works to address the needs of these communities as defined by the communities themselves. Currently, the organization’s primary focus is on healthy aging in place, healthy eating, and early childhood school readiness. Healthy Peninsula has developed three initiatives geared toward addressing these challenges: Healthy Aging Initiative, Healthy Eating Initiative, and the Healthy Families Initiative. Because they believe that more can be accomplished together than separately, Healthy Peninsula partners with other organizations using the Collective Impact model. The collective impact model is a highly effective approach to tackling complex social problems and calls for multiple organizations or entities to agree upon a common goal (which requires a common understanding of the problem) and then develop a mutual agreement on how to address it. Data to measure common progress is gathered throughout the process and communication between the organizations is continuous. When using this approach, there must be a clear, common purpose, community engagement and co-production, a relationship and trust, as well as results and accountability. Once momentum picks up and ideas are formed into action, Healthy Peninsula can step back and let the collaborations that have developed in response to the needs of the community take flight. Using this model, Healthy Peninsula has brought countless community and regional partners together in order to provide community-owned programs, initiatives, and resources to the Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington. Some examples of successful programs over the years include: the Magic Food Bus, Sedgwick Head Start, Friendship Cottage, Ready by 21, Farmers and Families, and Thriving in Place Downeast.
The Healthy Aging Initiative has established a strong network of community members, town governments, and service providers that are working together to create a community where we will all have what we need as we grow older in our coastal neighborhoods. Lori Johnson is the Healthy Aging Coordinator and draws on her experience from 25 years spent working in the social services field to provide community outreach, assist with resource navigation, work closely with volunteers, and collaborate and advocate for the aging community. The Programs that fall under the Healthy Aging Initiative are Age Friendly Coastal Communities, Bridging Neighbors, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program & Furry Friends Food Bank, Matter of Balance, The Simmering Pot community meal, and the Walk-In Cafe. The Age Friendly Coastal Communities program aims to enhance the lives of residents of the Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonigton – with a special focus on older adults. By enhancing existing services, developing new programs and services, and advocating for policy and infrastructure changes, the Age Friendly Coastal Communities program’s mission is to make it possible for people to age safely and independently in our communities and be as active in social, economic and civic life as they want to be. Bridging Neighbors is a community health outreach project designed to train volunteers to work one on one with individuals to provide resource orientation, navigation and advocacy, as well as friendly visits to reduce isolation and loneliness. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program provides monthly boxes of nutritious USDA foods to improve the health of low-income, older persons (60 and above). Healthy Peninsula’s delivery program relies on volunteers to serve recipients of the Blue Hill Peninsula. Additionally, pet food and basic pet care supplies are provided by the Furry Friends Food Bank for recipients with animals. Matter of Balance is an evidence-based program designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity among older adults by teaching about the importance of exercise in preventing falls and practice exercises to improve strength, coordination and balance. Healthy Peninsula member Pat Saunders is a Matter of Balance Master Trainer and has trained six lay coaches and coordinated publicity, space, and recruitment for several classes led by the coaches in our region. The Simmering Pot serves a free community meal from 2:30-6pm every Monday at the Blue Hill Congregational Church. Meal delivery for community members unable to attend in-person meals is also provided by volunteers. The Simmering Pot is the result of a partnership formed between a number of entities on the Peninsula: St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church, Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital kitchen, St. Francis By the Sea Episcopal Church, Tinder Hearth Bakery, and Healthy Peninsula. Healthy Peninsula’s role in this partnership is to coordinate program participants, volunteer kitchens, food donations, volunteers, and route development for weekly meal deliveries. Additional services to accompany soup delivery are also occasionally offered (such as in-home vaccines, donated flowers, and resource events). The Walk-In Cafe was started in April 2022 in response to the request for a safe place for peninsula residents (particularly older community members) to meet with friends and share conversation to combat the isolation of COVID safety measures. The Cafe meets outside the First Congregational Church in Blue Hill every Wednesday from 10-11:30 during nice weather and moves inside the church during the winter.
Healthy Peninsula believes in empowering people to lead healthier lifestyles and aims to decrease chronic disease by offering local healthy food choices and nutrition education and by participating in collaborations that improve access to nourishing food for all. The Healthy Eating Initiative includes programs such as the Magic Food Bus, Lunch & Learn programs at senior housing communities, the Simmering Pot community meal, Summer Garden Camps, school & community engagement during the school year, and community-wide conversations focused on collaborative programming to address food security. Anna Wind is the Healthy Eating Coordinator, grew up in Midcoast Maine, and has bountiful agricultural, culinary and nutritional knowledge to offer as a complement to the produce distributed by the Magic Food Bus. The Magic Food Bus was started by Healthy Peninsula in 2009 to bring fresh, local produce to Sedgwick and Deer Isle/Stonington and has expanded to include Blue Hill, Penobscot, Brooksville, and Brooklin over the years. It is a seasonal, mobile farmstand and library that delivers free produce, books, and information about food security to 12 locations around the peninsula. Entering its 15th season, the Magic Food Bus is staffed primarily by volunteers and has been growing every year in size, scope and complementary activities. The Gleaning Initiative (which harvests excess produce from farmers, orchards, farmer’s markets, and home & school gardens, then distributes it to food pantries and community meal sites), Healthy Island Project, Brooklin Food Corps and School Gardens, as well as many local farms, community gardens and volunteer gardeners support the Magic Food Bus by providing fresh produce for distribution.
The Healthy Families Initiative aims to support families with young children by providing opportunities and resources that prepare pre-K kids to be socially, emotionally, and physically ready to learn. Vanessa Hatch is the Healthy Families Coordinator and worked at Blue Hill Family Medicine for nearly a decade before joining Healthy Peninsula. She has two children at Sedgwick Elementary and is a fierce advocate for quality childcare and the community members who own and run childcare facilities, and is dedicated to helping parents and guardians access childcare options. The Healthy Families Initiative includes programs such as the Childcare Provider Network, the Early Childhood Interest Group, High School Community Service, the “How Are The Children?” community education campaign, the Little Sapling Newsletter, Peninsula Wide Sports Equipment Exchange, and Welcome Baby Bags. The Childcare Provider Network meets monthly and is open to any childcare provider on the Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington. It is an opportunity for continuing education, guest speakers and talking shop. The Early Childhood Interest Group (ECIG) began in 2012, facilitated by Healthy Peninsula Board members, to address issues and Kindergarten readiness on the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle. ECIG meets monthly and brings together a wide variety of participants (including educators, medical and service providers, and community volunteers) to discuss local and regional education & service provider programs and topics of concern, as well as to provide presentations geared toward family education. The ECIG meets the second Wednesday of every month during the school year and everyone is welcome to attend. The “How Are The Children?” campaign was a Healthy Peninsula education campaign that included information, told stories from the community, and promoted actions that anyone can take to make a difference in the lives of young children. Funding for this campaign was provided by Maine Community Foundation as part of an early childhood community grant under the Strong Start strategic goal envisioning that “all Maine children receive a healthy start and arrive at Kindergarten developmentally prepared to succeed in school and life.” Little Saplings News is a quarterly newsletter issued by Healthy Peninsula and shares updated information on local children and family activity, events, classes, resources, and more. Organized by Healthy Peninsula in partnership with the Blue Hill Society for Aid to Children, the Island and Peninsula Sports Equipment Exchange collects donated athletic gear, which is then made available free of charge to any area youth in need to help them stay active and healthy. Welcome Baby Bags aim to let families know that they are not alone and that the community is here to support them. In addition to local resources for babies, each bag has gifts made by community members, as well as items like lotion, baby wipes, baby wash, face cloths, creams, and even some offerings for parents. Baby Bags are gifted to families at a child’s first visit to their primary care provider in Blue Hill, Castine, and Island Family practices but if you live in the service area and have a new baby, you can also contact Healthy Peninsula to receive a bag.
There are a plethora of resources available on the Healthy Peninsula’s website. Here you can find a current Farmer’s Market schedule, which lists times and locations for the markets in Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Deer Isle, and Stonington (along with a number of Local Farm profiles). There are also links to food security resources, such as Tree of Life Food Pantry, Farm Drop Online Farmers’ Market serving the Blue Hill Peninsula and surrounding areas, Island Food Pantry, Food for Maine’s Future, Meet Your Farmer, Community Cafe/Meals on Wheels, Everybody Eats in Ellsworth, and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The Healthy Peninsula has partnered with the towns of the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle/Stonington to offer a Local Skills and Services Directory on their website to make it easier for local people to publicize their skills and to make it easier for others to find the help they need within their community. Anyone with a skill to offer the community or a business is welcome to add their information to the directory. Additionally, Healthy Peninsula has compiled a Peninsula Community Resource Guide, which is available on the Northern Light Health website. This database consists of primarily non-profit health and human service resources in greater Hancock County, Maine, and features information to keep community members and professionals connected with up-to-date resource and program listings. This includes state-wide resources that are available to families, seniors, adults with chronic illness and caregivers on the Blue Hill Peninsula, Stonington and Deer Isle.
Community engagement is at the heart of this grassroots organization and there are a variety of ways in which volunteers can help. The Bridging Neighbors program is always looking for Resource Support Volunteers, who will work directly with community members in need of help accessing or understanding community resources. As a Resource Volunteer, you can expect to be trained and matched with clients and work with them for a 3-6 month period, spending approximately 2-4hrs/week on a variety of activities. The Simmering Pot Community Meal project needs volunteers who are available on Mondays to deliver warm meals (as well as donated flowers, community information, and resource notices occasionally) to individuals and families throughout the Blue Hill Peninsula. As a Simmering Pot Delivery Driver, you can expect to spend 2hrs/week making local meal deliveries on Mondays (except holidays) from 2-4pm. The Magic Food Bus is powered by volunteers and is also in need of volunteer Route Drivers. This weekly, free farmstand, library and resource hub travels (in individual cars) around the Peninsula and Deer Isle on Thursdays and Fridays from the end of June through September. Volunteer tasks include: sorting and weighing vegetables, driving and distributing vegetables at designated stops around Healthy Peninsula’s nine-town service area, sharing recipe ideas with community members, and sorting and selecting books for distribution. As a Magic Food Bus volunteer, you can expect to spend 2hrs/week helping out on Thursdays or Fridays. The weekly Walk-In Cafe at the Blue Hill Congregational Church could always use volunteers to assist with setting up (food, tables, chairs, etc), cleaning up, meeting new people and helping them feel welcome. The time commitment is a 2-3hr shift on Wednesday mornings. The Welcome Baby Bags program distributes baby supplies and important resources to new families around the Peninsula and volunteer tasks include stocking baby bags, shopping for supplies, recruiting donations, organizing donation drives, organizing resource guides, and more. Any help is appreciated and the required time commitment for this project is very flexible. The Commodity Food Program is looking for volunteers to assist with sorting and packing vegetables and fruits that are delivered along with shelf stable food boxes, delivering the food boxes to older, low-income community members living on the Blue Hill Peninsula, and helping to coordinate volunteers and recipients. You can expect to spend approximately 2-3 hrs/month on the first Wednesday of the month as a Commodity Food Program volunteer. Toniya Peasley is the Office Administrator and Bookkeeper at Healthy Peninsula and can be reached at tpeasley@healthypeninsula.org or (207)374-3257 for more information about how you can help out. There is also an online form on the Healthy Peninsula website for anyone interested in signing up or learning more about the many volunteer opportunities available. If you are shopping at the Blue Hill Co-op this month and would like to support their effort to serve the community, please consider rounding up to benefit Healthy Peninsula with your purchase!
By Sarah Scamperle, Marketing Assistant
Sources cited:
Healthypeninsula.org
Northernlighthealth.org
