Food and fuel funds seeing need increase

Many Washington County households struggle to keep their homes warm and nutritious meals on the table. To help fill the gaps are organizations and community members that support fuel funds and food pantries for those in need. Over the years the use of food pantries and fuel funds has been steadily climbing as the county's population has aged, many incomes have stagnated or declined and the housing stock continues to age, compounding financial stresses.
Giving an overall view of how households in need are doing is Energy Services Director Lee Hardison of Downeast Community Partners (DCP), which serves Washington and Hancock counties. She oversees the federal and state Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) and the donation‑based The Heating and Warmth Fund (THAW) to help people stay warm. She explains that LIHEAP applications are down, not because of need decreasing, but because the agency is using a new system that meant extending individual application times from 20 to 30 minutes. "So that cut down by seven appointments per day." So far about 900 households in the two counties have received LIHEAP with the average benefit being $920 for fuel purchases, down from 1,629 households the previous year. With fuel prices close to the previous year's, she says that clients are getting "about the same bang for the buck."
In addition Hardison notes that it took longer than usual for "the state to determine benefits." The result was that the THAW program saw "ungodly" high numbers, to the tune of $70,000 expended in both counties. "We couldn't issue any [LIHEAP and ECIP] until we heard from the feds. The majority of applicants needed help before the federal funds came through." As a result the donation‑based THAW fund is down to "barebones."
THAW provides a one‑time benefit of 100 gallons of heating fuel to qualifying applicants. "We need to make sure that clients will stay warm and not run out," Hardison says. For more information about fuel fund assistance, call DCP at 610‑5914. To donate to THAW, contact Sarah Nugent at DCP at 664‑2424.

Eastport area needs grow
Over in Eastport the Greater Eastport Ecumenical Churches Association (GEECA) oversees the Community Emergency Fuel Fund and the Labor of Love Nutrition Center and Garrapy Food Pantry. GEECA President Lynn Rutledge says that the fuel fund contributions are coming in a little behind last year's. So far the fund has raised $2,000 and there were some funds left over from last year's drive to help, but she notes, "We would welcome contributions, as winter is still long before us." Starting in December they have given out 13 vouchers for fuel, which translates to $200‑$250 per household. She adds, "This year, particularly, seems that LIHEAP is coming in later, so many of the calls are from folks who have applied and haven't received anything yet."
At the Garrapy Food Pantry, Rutledge says that they are seeing over 100 visits per week and handed out 144,000 pounds of food in 2019, up from the previous year. About 30 volunteers and Manager Patti Loring coordinate food storage and distribution. Rutledge says that they receive comments from many recipients. One person wrote, "Thank you for being so accepting and non‑judgmental." Another wrote of their appreciation for the dairy and fresh produce. Rutledge expresses gratitude to the R&M IGA, the Calais Tradewinds and Walmart for providing quality foods that the pantry might not otherwise be able to offer.
The Garrapy Food Pantry is open Fridays from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., and small emergency bags of food are available on Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. For more information about the food pantry and the fuel fund, including donation information, visit the website <eastportlaboroflove.org>.

Calais sees more fuel requests
In Calais the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry not only provides food for those in need but also runs a small heating assistance fund. To raise money for fuel fund assistance, there is a soup and bread supper planned for Friday, January 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church. Tickets are $8 each, with children eating for free. In addition, containers will be available to take home plenty of soup for extra enjoyment.
Use of the fuel fund has been steady, says fund manager Sherry Sivret. From December 1 to January 2 they helped 20 families with 50 gallons of fuel each. The fund is a one‑time only emergency resource. They have enough funds to help about five more families and are seeking donations to help. "It's not easy for people to call and ask. Many are single head of households and seniors. The majority are working hard and trying to provide for their families." She explains that many are a car breakdown away from an emergency, and even small price increases can push a household over the edge of suddenly not being able to afford essentials. The fuel fund expended $4,000 last year and so far has spent about $3,000 for the current heating season.
Sivret, too, notes that a number of people calling for help have said that their fuel assistance application appointments aren't until the beginning of February, which could mean that the dispersal of funds may not be until spring. "So it's stressing emergency fuel funds out there." She adds, "We're very grateful for the generosity of community people who donate and the grant funder," who provide donations.
The food pantry has also been busy, with over 800 households helped in 2019. While Manager David Sivret doesn't have numbers yet for the year, he notes that the 250,000 pounds of food dispersed in 2018 has been surpassed in 2019. The use continues "edging up," he adds. The pantry is always grateful for monetary and food donations.
The food pantry is open Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information about the food pantry, call 454‑8553, and to donate to the fuel fund, call the church at 454‑8016.

Machias sees younger client base growing
In Machias the Centre Street Congregational Church hosts the Machias Food Pantry, which is open on Mondays by appointment from 1 to 6 p.m. Eunice Mommens, the new pantry director, says that for 2019 they served 1,844 households with a total of 3,865 family members and spent $27,000 on food at the Machias Hannaford, with some additional funds spent on procuring food from Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Mommens says, "We see many of our clients every Monday, some just the first Monday of the month and then others during the winter season when they're laid off from work." The pantry's client base is growing, with about 10 new clients signing up per month. While Mommens hasn't studied the data yet, comments have been coming in from new clients that point to the reason why. "People know that the reduction in SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] is imminent." With that reduction in access to food on the horizon, "people who are struggling know they have to have a place to go for help." She adds that with the lack of jobs and wages at or near the minimum, the pantry is seeing a lot more clients with children. "It's slowly becoming a younger population." Almost 60% of the pantry's clients are senior citizens on fixed incomes, but the slow increase of families with children and college students is noticeable.
The Centre Street Congregational Church has a discretionary fund administered by Rev. Susan Maxwell that can be used for heating fuel assistance. While it is not a part of the food pantry operation, information about both, including services and donations, can be found by calling 255‑6665.

Lubec offers pantry and fuel fund
The Lubec Community Outreach Center food pantry's new director, Eleody Libby, has also been seeing an increase in clients and an increase in families with children. In December five new households signed up -- three were seniors and two were families with children. That kind of percentage split of household sign‑ups has been staying true, she notes. In November they served 121 households with 225 individuals, which was up from 99 households and 147 individuals in October. "We see a lot more in wintertime," she says. The large senior population on fixed incomes is contributing to the need. She explains that a senior citizen might in a month "see a $2 increase in their $600 Social Security check, but the cost of groceries has gone up by $10." She adds that it's "devastating to see." For more information about the pantry, call 733‑5262.
The Town of Lubec administers the Senior Fuel Fund, which is to support seniors over 60 who don't qualify for general assistance and have exhausted all assistance from other sources such as LIHEAP. Deputy Town Clerk Debra Hood says that similar to last year they have helped one person so far this winter. They have from two to four people who donate to the fund, "usually townspeople who have wanted to help." For more information, call the town office at 733‑2341.

Additional resources
The Campobello Food Bank is open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Anne's Anglican Church. For more information, call 506‑752‑2131.
The Deer Island Safety Net Food Bank has been helping islanders in need for years. For more information, call 506‑747‑2053.
The Grand Manan food bank is run by Action Ministries. Its hours are Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call 506‑662‑3585.