South Portland Food Cupboard

What South Portland Food Cupboard does

South Portland Food Cupboard is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community food pantry founded in 1997 in South Portland, Maine, serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity across South Portland, Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, and surrounding communities in Cumberland and York counties. The organization operates a multi-channel distribution model consisting of three onsite channels — a weekly Tuesday walk-through distribution (9:45 AM to 11:30 AM, open to all), a monthly Thursday drive-through distribution (8:30 AM to 11:00 AM, income-qualified at or below 185% of Federal Poverty Guidelines), and a first-Wednesday evening distribution (5:00 to 6:30 PM) for working recipients — supplemented by monthly homebound delivery for South Portland residents and complimentary rides through a partnership with the South Portland Transportation Department. A daily Food Rescue Program collects surplus food from commercial donors including Hannaford, Jordan's Farm, Two Fat Cats Bakery, Little Caesars, Rosemont Market, and others, with downstream bulk pass-through to 10+ sober houses, 4 food pantries, 2 soup kitchens, and asylum-seeker support networks.

Operations are delivered by a paid staff of four and a volunteer base of more than 130 contributors providing thousands of hours annually; cost per person served is reported at $20, and the organization distributed 1,074,000 pounds of food (over 490 tons) valued at $1,881,662 to 6,996 families totaling 21,981 individuals in the past reporting year, plus an additional 93,761 pounds valued at $166,562 contributed to partner agencies. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: PantrySoft for appointment scheduling and check-in, SignUpGenius for volunteer shift management, PayPal for online donations, and Amazon Wishlist for in-kind contribution fulfillment; no proprietary platform, mobile app, or AI/ML components are evident.

Revenue is not directly disclosed and is composed of monetary donations (online via PayPal, checks, recurring, corporate matching, tribute gifts, planned giving, stock), in-kind food donations from commercial and community donors, and government commodity support through TEFAP. The organization relocated in March 2026 from a 2013 warehouse at 130 Thadeus Street to a larger facility at 443 Western Ave (rear of the Jetport Plaza behind Staples) with multiple loading docks, additional freezers and refrigerators, and updated equipment, explicitly to accommodate rising demand.

Name

South Portland Food Cupboard

Legal name

South Portland Food Cupboard

Website

https://southportlandfoodcupboard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Portland Food Cupboard is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry founded in 1997 in South Portland, Maine, providing free weekly and monthly food distributions, homebound delivery, and food rescue coordination to food-insecure individuals and families across Cumberland and York counties, delivered by four staff and 130+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

South Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal, checks, and various donation methods including recurring donations, corporate matching gifts, tribute gifts, planned giving, and stock donations.
2. Food Donations: Receives food donations from community members, grocery stores, farms, and other food providers through their Food Rescue program.
3. TEFAP (Emergency Food Assistance Program): Government commodity food program supporting low-income households. Households must meet income requirements below 185% of Federal Poverty Guidelines for Thursday distributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

South Portland Food Cupboard is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, volunteer-based food pantry that provides free nutritious food to food-insecure individuals and families in South Portland, Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, and surrounding Cumberland and York counties. It operates multiple scheduled distribution channels (Tuesday weekly, Thursday income-qualified monthly, and Wednesday evening), a daily Food Rescue program, homebound delivery, transportation assistance, and resource navigation connecting recipients to broader community services.

Product overview

The South Portland Food Cupboard operates a community-based food pantry system providing direct food assistance to individuals and families in South Portland, Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, and surrounding communities. The organization runs a multi-channel distribution model consisting of three primary food distribution programs: a weekly Tuesday 'shop for yourself' model open to all without income requirements, a monthly Thursday distribution for income-qualified households at or below 185% of Federal Poverty Guidelines, and a monthly Wednesday evening distribution for working individuals. Supporting services include homebound delivery, transportation assistance, and daily food rescue operations collecting surplus food from local partners. The organization also provides volunteer engagement, food drive hosting, and resource navigation to connect recipients with broader community services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuesday Food Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 6,996 families and 21,981 individuals in the past year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HannafordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery store partner in the Food Rescue program, donating surplus food to reduce waste and help feed community members in need.
• Jordan's FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm partner providing fresh produce through the Food Rescue program, supporting sustainable food distribution and local agriculture.
• Two Fat Cats BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBakery partner contributing baked goods to the Food Rescue program for distribution to food-insecure community members.
• Little CaesarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner donating food items through the Food Rescue program.
• NightmovesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood partner contributing products through the Food Rescue program.
• Barber BrothersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business partner in the Food Rescue program.
• Scratch BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBakery partner contributing fresh baked goods through the Food Rescue program.
• Rosemont Market and BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal market and bakery partner contributing food items through the Food Rescue program.
• South Portland Transportation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides complimentary transportation for South Portland residents who do not have access to their own. Recipients may use up to four rides per month to and from the Food Cupboard during distribution times.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization for 200+ regional food banks across the United States. Both Good Shepherd Food Bank and most regional food banks in SPFC's ecosystem are Feeding America affiliates, making it the broad incumbent in the same space.
• Greater Boston Food Bank: Largest hunger-relief organization in New England and a Feeding America affiliate. Functions as a regional food bank wholesaler that distributes to hundreds of partner pantries, including smaller community pantries in the same regional ecosystem.

Regional players

• Vermont Foodbank: Vermont's largest hunger-relief organization and Feeding America affiliate, sourcing and distributing food through a statewide network of partner pantries. Shares the wholesale food distribution and partner-agency model.
• New Hampshire Food Bank: New Hampshire's only Feeding America affiliate, distributing food through a network of partner agencies across the state. Comparable operating model (community food distribution via partner pantries) in an adjacent New England geography.
• Project Bread: Massachusetts statewide anti-hunger organization funding school meals, pantries, and direct food assistance. Comparable mission and direct-service food distribution model in an adjacent New England state.
• Food Bank of Western Massachusetts: Feeding America affiliate serving western Massachusetts through food distribution, mobile pantries, and partner agencies. Operates a comparable community food pantry model in an adjacent New England geography.

Direct peers

• Food for Free: Cambridge, MA-based nonprofit running food rescue, a home-delivery program (Meals on Wheels-style), and a pantry model. Closely comparable combination of food rescue, direct distribution, and homebound delivery to vulnerable residents.
• Good Shepherd Food Bank: Maine's largest food bank and the state's Feeding America affiliate; headquartered in Auburn, ME with statewide distribution. Directly comparable as a community-based hunger-relief organization operating in the same geography as South Portland Food Cupboard.
• Wayside Food Programs: Portland, ME-based nonprofit providing free meals and food access through community meals, mobile pantries, and a food rescue program. Operates in the same Cumberland County service area and shares the food rescue model.

Emerging players

• Food Rescue US: National nonprofit using a digital platform to connect surplus food donors directly to recipient agencies. Highly relevant for the food rescue component of SPFC's operating model, though it operates at national rather than local scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/southportlandfoodcupboard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-portland-food-cupboard
• Instagraminstagram.com/southportlandfoodcupboard
• TikToktiktok.com/@spfoodcupboard

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Portland Food Cupboard