Open Table MDI Bringing Community Meals to Bar Harbor Area

If you find yourself in the Bar Harbor area looking for a good meal, look no further than Open Table MDI.

“We're focusing right now on hosting a supper at the congregational church,” said Puranjot Khalsa, a co-founder of Open Table MDI. “It's open to all and a totally secular organization just really wanting to feed people.”

The free dinners have returned after an extended absence in the area.

“There was some history of a regular community meal in Bar Harbor and as that kind of closed down, everybody in the community missed it,” said Pastor Rob Benson of the Bar Harbor Congregational Church. “It feed people both who were hungry for food and hungry for community connections.”

The first dinner was held last week to a group of about 50 people. Organizers say the turnout and support from local people has been fantastic.

“It was delicious,” said Benson. “It was fantastic, we had live music, people from every part of the community showed up.”

“Throughout the course of the evening, I just felt my heart just bursting,” said Puranjot. “It's just love for the community because just seeing all of the support and I feel like this is a community where people really rally together.”

Donations and volunteers are needed to help keep the meals going. To learn more, you can visit Open Table MDI on Facebook. A little help goes a long way.

“I think we're living in really challenging times and it can be super easy to forget that our neighbors need help if they have different opinions than we do,” Mahandeva Singh Khalsa, another co-founder. “So it's even more important now than ever, I think, to continue to rely on one another.”