UNITY — Unity Food Hub, 69 School St., will hold its grand opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, featuring tours, information about the hub, local food and door prizes.

The food hub is open to the public weekly from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays.

Tours of the recently renovated school building will highlight facilities such as the commercial kitchen, public meeting spaces, cold storage and packing areas. Refreshments using local ingredients sourced by the food hub and prepared by Chef Frank Giglio, of Three Lily Farm in Thorndike, will be available.

Attendees can meet the Food Hub staff and learn how the food hub works. All attendees will be entered into a door prize for gift certificates that can be redeemed for farm-fresh food at the hub.

Unity Food Hub was created by Maine Farmland Trust to help local farmers access new markets. The facility will be used to aggregate, store, and distribute products from dozens of local farms, according to the release.

Though the primarily purpose of the food hub is to support Maine farmers, Maine Farmland Trust wanted to create a facility that would also serve the local community in other ways.

Through the food hub, local residents can easily access Maine farm products through a pick-up each Thursday. Recipients of SNAP benefits can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at half price–a special opportunity created through a federal grant.

The grand opening provides an excellent opportunity for the local community to check out Unity Food Hub and ask questions. For more information, contact Ellen Sabina at 338-6575 or ellen@mainefarmlandtrust.org.