A black and white historical photograph depicting a large group of men and women dressed in Victorian-era attire. They are seated along a long wooden picnic table covered in a white tablecloth, dining inside a dense forest clearing. Handwritten names are visible on the top and bottom margins of the photo.

Community Suppers

Photo: Library of Congress

At grange halls and church basements across Maine on Saturday evenings, a community supper is happening. Sometimes it’s barbecue chicken. If a community is really trying to shake things up, there might even be tacos. But more often it’s baked beans with Parker House rolls or brown bread, hot dogs (brown and red), coleslaw, potato salad or mac and cheese, and a slice of pie or chocolate cake.

Community suppers, particularly baked bean suppers, have long been a New England tradition. With food prepared and served by volunteers at little or no cost to diners, they raise money for local needs, such as helping families through medical crises or buying equipment for the volunteer fire department, while giving neighbors a place to catch up or meet new people.

While fewer people attend community suppers than they once did, the tradition remains an important part of Maine life. Alongside the traditional community suppers are new approaches. Organizations such as Community Plate bring potluck meals to communities across Maine, pairing shared food with themed storytelling and conversation. And farmers are inviting people to their farms, where neighbors and strangers sit at long picnic tables decorated with Mason jars filled with locally grown flowers, sharing meals made with ingredients grown on the farm.

Check out Community Plate

A historic black and white photograph of several women in long Victorian dresses and aprons preparing a clambake or meal on a rocky shoreline. One woman pours liquid from a bucket onto a large cooking mound built among logs, while others tend to food, hold firewood, or watch the process against a coastal backdrop. — Shore Dinner Here, a group of women and girls prepare a lobster bake on a rocky shore at Matinicus Island. Photo: Penobscot Marine Museum.

A sepia-toned vintage photograph showing a group of people in late 19th-century clothing gathered around an outdoor campfire picnic. Several women in formal dark dresses and hats sit on the left, while a platter of apples rests on a log near a frying pan in the foreground. Handwritten text at the bottom reads "Around the Campfire - Picnic to William Stream". — Group of men and women sitting at table, eating, near the Socateau River in 1889. Photo: Library of Congress.

A vibrant nighttime photograph capturing a group of people enjoying an outdoor dinner party at a rustic wooden table. The scene is illuminated by warm overhead string lights and a nearby bonfire, as guests smile and pass a large bowl of salad down the table. — Supper at a saltwater farm in Lincolnville. Photo: Maine Office of Tourism.

A historic recipe handwritten in ink on aged, light blue paper. The title at the top reads "Steamed Brown Bread," followed by a detailed list of instructions and ingredients including Indian meal, molasses, and saleratus dissolved in water or milk. — Steamed Brown Bread recipe, ca. 1870. A New England staple, steamed brown bread was often referred to as New England or Boston brown bread. Photo: Maine HIstorical Society.

A two-tone ceramic bean pot or crock with a dark brown glazed upper half and a tan lower half. The front features a stamped rectangular label reading "E. SWASEY & CO. PORTLAND, ME." beneath a large number "2". — Swasey bean pot, Portland, ca. 1900. Photo: Maine Historical Society.

A close-up photograph of a handwritten postcard dated July 5, 1939. The ink cursive text complains about the "terrible" and "greasy" baked beans served at a Grange supper, stating it was the worst out of thirty-six suppers attended. The top reads "vegetable oils make for Better Baked Beans." — Bean supper complaint, 1950. An anonymous writer sent a postcard to the South Gardiner Grange in 1959 complaining about the organization's baked beans served at a Grange supper. Photo: Maine Historical Society.

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