Piscataquis and the Dragon

PR Food Center
2 days ago
2 min read

Piscataquis County is a strong and quiet place.

It’s the kind of community where people wave when they pass on the road, where neighbors notice when someone hasn’t been around in a while, and where pride runs deep. Families here are resourceful. We work hard. We take care of our own.

For a long time, that’s been enough.

But just beneath the surface of this steady, familiar life, something has been growing.

The Dragon in Our Midst

Food insecurity and poverty don’t arrive with drama. They arrive quietly, through rising grocery prices, long drives to the store, seasonal jobs that don’t stretch far enough, and the impossible choices between heat, medicine, and food.

This is our Dragon.

It isn’t loud, but it is powerful. It feeds on isolation. It grows when perfectly good food goes to waste while families go without. It grows when support systems are confusing or stigmatized, and when people believe hunger is something they must face alone.

And for too long, we’ve accepted this as “just the way things are.”

What We Refuse to Lose

Even as the Dragon has grown, our County has held onto what matters most:

A belief in dignity
A willingness to help one another
A deep connection to land, food, and community

These are worth defending.

That’s where the Piscataquis Regional Food Center comes in, not as a knight with a sword, but as a guide, a builder, and a bridge.

A Different Way Forward

Every day, PRFC weakens the Dragon by:

Rescuing fresh food before it goes to waste and placing it directly into community hands
Helping neighbors access SNAP and nutrition resources with respect and compassion
Partnering with local farms so food grown here feeds people who live here
Bringing food to where people are, through mobile pantries, home delivery, and programs to bridge the summer gap, when school meals are not available

This work doesn’t just feed people for today. It strengthens us for tomorrow.

The Hidden Treasure

Like all Dragons, this one hoards something valuable.

In our case, it’s Opportunity:

Federal nutrition dollars left untapped
Healthy food that could change a child’s future
Local agriculture that could thrive while feeding neighbors
Families who, with the right support, can move from survival to stability

When we reclaim that treasure, the entire community benefits.

Why You Matter

No one organization overcomes a Dragon alone.

You are not an outsider in this story; you are part of the turning point. Your support fuels the systems that make lasting change possible. It transforms food from emergency relief into infrastructure. It replaces stigma with dignity. It turns quiet hardship into shared strength.

The Future We’re Building Together

With your partnership, our community can be more than resilient; it can be nourished.

A place where: