Local Flavor
Food Access and St. Mary’s Nutrition Center
The vibrant and diverse neighborhoods of the downtown Lewiston-Auburn area face a food insecurity challenge alongside a strong advocate. For many years, St. Mary’s Nutrition Center has led the way in bringing people together to help build a just food system and healthy community.
Work, Food and People
“We do all kinds of work around food, but it’s really about people,” said Director Kirsten Walter. “We distribute over 450,000 pounds of food annually.” The center also offers urban community gardens, cooking education and gardening for children and adults, youth leadership and food access partnerships. The Nutrition Center is the lead partner in building a Community Food Center, as part of a $30 million HUD grant.
History and Community Needs
The Nutrition Center was founded in 2006 to consolidate the work of programs begun in 1999. Part of St. Mary’s Health System, the downtown Nutrition Center addresses community health in neighborhoods facing multiple barriers.
Poverty, language barriers and lead poisoning affect residents, many of whom are immigrants, who struggle to put food on the table. Lewiston’s school district educates children where 34 languages are spoken and familiar foods for these community members are hard to find and often expensive. “The Nutrition Center is now providing some culturally preferred foods, which is helping the population,” said Walter.
Meaningful Work
She added, “Our team is amazing. We are surrounded by compassionate people, which include our staff and partners as well as neighbors, who really care about each other. Together, we make a real impact.”
Sambusa — Beef
Somalian Fried Egg Rolls
This recipe comes from Mumina Isse, who has been involved with the Nutrition Center, helping to manage the food pantry and offering interpreting support in our community gardens and beyond. She is an advocate for her immigrant neighbors and a skilled community organizer.
Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cube vegetable bouillon (crushed)
1 cup of water
1-2 chopped onions
½ Tsp. cumin
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 chopped jalapeño pepper
1 package of egg roll wrappers
2 cups olive or vegetable oil
Preparation
Add ground beef, vegetable bouillon cube and water to a frying pan and cook over medium heat. When meat is cooked through, mix all other ingredients into the pan and cook for one to two minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool for five minutes. Spoon one ½ tbsp of mixture into the egg roll wrapper, folding over edges and wetting them so they stick together in a triangle shape. Deep fry in oil until brown. Makes 18-20 sambusas.