Food pantries hit by increase in families needing assistance

Food pantries in Washington and Charlotte counties are seeing a definite increase in families who are stopping in for emergency food assistance. Fortunately, the pantries benefit from a lot of help from the surrounding community, whether it's from schools, churches, businesses or individuals, but more funding is always welcome.

Labor of Love feeds families

The Labor of Love Food Pantry and Nutrition Center in Eastport has been serving 150 families, says director Fern Garrapy. "In the past two months, we've had seven new ones, and I expect we'll get a few more. Times are hard for so many people. Most of them are senior citizens, but we serve one family with 10 children."

Labor of Love's stocks are "pretty good" right now, she reports. "We've got pallets of food here, and the [Shead government] students do their food competition at Christmas, so that's a big help," Last year, the students assembled and delivered 150 food baskets in time for the December 25 meal.

The Good Shepherd Food Pantry has donated 28 turkeys to its Eastport counterpart, and Labor of Love also received, from the recent WQDY Turkey-a-Thon, 73 vouchers for turkeys. Garrapy has purchased roasting chickens for the families who don't need or want to cook a turkey this holiday season and says, "We do need more donations of roasting chickens, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Another good thing to donate is canned milk because it keeps. Also, the government gives us a grapefruit juice, but people can't take it with a lot of medication, so donations of pineapple or other juices would be nice. And we can always use canned carrots or peas or canned potatoes."

At the top of Garrapy's wish list is "a decent upright freezer -- something fairly new."

Overseen by the Greater Eastport Ecumenical Churches Association, the Labor of Love Food Pantry and Nutrition Center is open every second and third Tuesday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m. If anyone needs emergency food assistance or wishes to donate, contact Fern Garrapy at 853-2373.

Churches, students supply food

The Woodland Food Bank in Baileyville, located in the Pentecostal Church at 55 Broadway, is open every Thursday, except holidays, from 9 to 11 a.m. Tonya and Durward Scott are two of the volunteers who run the pantry, which Tonya says feeds about 200 families each month. "It varies from week to week because families can only come in once a month, but they can choose any Thursday."

"The number has been increasing every month since January," she adds. "We just had five new families in one week, and the smallest of them had six members."

Scott says from 52% to 67% of the families coming to the Woodland Food Bank are senior citizens. "They appreciate the fact the pantry is there. It's been a tough year, and they're extremely grateful."

The food bank gets a lot of support from the community, including the Woodland Baptist Church, St. James Catholic Church and the Methodist church, and Scott says the Woodland Elementary School students recent held a food drive for the pantry.

"And the Turkey-a-Thon was a godsend," reports Scott. "We got 160."

"No donation is too small or too great. If we get it, the money is going to go right out to buy food."

For more information, call Tonya or Durward Scott at 427-6518.

Calais pantry helps seniors

The Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry on Main Street in Calais is open every Thursday from 9 a.m. until noon, and director Carmela Walton says approximately 550 meals are given out each week. "We're juggling 600 families in the Calais area. We're glad to have Woodland on board. They're doing a good job, and I can send people up to them."

"A lot of the people who come here are seniors C probably 90 percent," she points out."

A committee made up of representatives from St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Immaculate Conception Church, the First Congregational Church, Second Baptist Church and the Methodist church oversees the food pantry, and each week a different church sends five members of its congregation to assist Walton, who is in her fourth year as director. "We also have the two Mormon boys," says Walton. "I have wonderful help. They're very loyal and dedicated."

The Calais food pantry is well stocked right now, "but we're always looking for funding," says the director. "All monies are spent on food."

Walton also accepts "clean usable jackets, hats and mittens for children, but we don't really have room for clothing here. I send people to the two thrift shops in town. We're thankful for whatever we've got."

If anyone needs emergency food assistance or make a financial donation, call Carmela Walton at 796-0826.

Clientele growing in Machias

Helen Vose, director of the Machias Food Pantry, reports that its clientele is growing. "We're serving between 50 and 60 families weekly. That's up. We were serving 40. We have a lot of singles right now, but most [families] average three people or more."

"We're getting families now where both the man and the woman are working, but everything is catching up with them. Heat and fuel are expensive," she points out. "And a lot are coming in every two weeks, instead of once a month, but they aren't refused. Even if they're not in our area, we don't refuse them. We just tell them where the food pantry is in their area, so they can go there the next time."

It may vary a bit from week to week, but all families who stop by the Machias Food Pantry, which is located in the Centre Street Congregational Church, receive the same items in their grocery bag. Boxes of cereal, spaghetti and macaroni, two cheeses, two soups, two vegetables, canned fruit and tuna "and whatever we have here at the time. Right now, that's instant potatoes and rice," reports Vose. "Most families are very glad to get this."

If anyone would like to donate to the Machias Food Pantry, nonperishable foods are welcome. "We can always use that," stresses Vose. "Everything helps us meet people's needs."

The Machias Food Pantry is open Mondays, excepting holidays, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., and Helen Vose may be contacted at 255-3524 or 255-6665.

Assisting the needy at Pleasant Point

St. Ann's Passamaquoddy Food Pantry at Pleasant Point is administered by Mary Lou Barnes, who says it serves from 30 to 40 families a month. "We've picked up a bit, though. We have five or six more families," she reports. "And I see getting busier because of the fuel prices and cost of heating. People won't have as much money for food."

The food pantry, which was founded three years ago by Barnes and Molly Newell, is located in the Pleasant Point tribal office building and is open daily from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. "There are usually four or five or us around to staff it," says Barnes.

Right now, the food pantry is well stocked, "thanks to FEMA funds and [35] turkey vouchers we got from the WQDY Turkey-a-Thon. We get donations from the tribe, and we participate in Good Shepherd Food Pantry matching grants, so we'll start fund-raising in January."

To contact Mary Lou Barnes, call the tribal office at 853-2600.

Whiting food pantry receives many blessings

Located in Three Angels Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Whiting Community Food Pantry is open on the third Wednesday of month from noon to 7 p.m., and director William Sawtelle reports that at least 311 families were served on November 19. "It might have been more. We made up several more bags," he says.

Sawtelle guesses that the food pantry will be serving around 340 to 350 families this winter. "We serve areas that don't have a food pantry. Senior citizens made up about 70 to 75 percent, but we also have working families who need a lot of help. They've got fuel to pay for now, and we can give them a boost."

Sawtelle says on food distribution days a luncheon is served at the Whiting Community Food Pantry. "People like to socialize. It's nice to sit down and get caught up with one another."

The Whiting Community Food Pantry is served by "a wonderful group of volunteers," and each month new volunteers show up. "Lubec and Edmunds students have come in and helped put the food away, and next month Lubec [students] are putting up food in bags and Edmunds students will put it up in boxes. They love it."

Donations welcomed by the food pantry include any food that is nonperishable, as well as toiletries and diapers that people can't buy with food stamps.

Recent donations have been come from the Edmunds Consolidated School students, students from the Pembroke Elementary led by the fourth and fifth graders, and Bar Harbor Bank and Trust.

"We've been very fortunate this year," says Anne Sawtelle. "The community has kept us going. The food donated by the government is not enough."

For information or assistance, call William Sawtelle at 726-4722.

Providing a safety net on Deer Island

The Deer Island Safety Net, which includes the island's food pantry, "is expecting a really tough winter," says Joyce Stuart of the food bank committee. "Money is beginning to get tight."

Run by the four island churches, the food pantry just benefitted from a church-sponsored food drive as well as assistance from church youth groups and Deer Island Community School.

"We've sent letters to businesses and groups, and there will be donations coming in," reports Stuart. "Each of the churches do up food baskets, the fire department provides a Christmas hamper and the school adopted a family."

In addition, the Deer Island Safety Net receives funding from New Brunswick Food Bank, the Canadian Food Bank Association, the Fundy Community Foundation and Harbour Lights program in Saint John. "That works really well," says Stuart, who adds that the Safety Net also buys medication for islanders in need. "We help people who are sick or if a kid needs glasses. We also help people who are burned out of their home."

The Safety Net's food bank is located in the basement of the Baptist Church in Fairhaven, but all the food is delivered by the island ministers. "There's much more privacy, that way," points out Stuart.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Deer Island food bank should make a cheque out to "Deer Island Safety Net" and mail it to 30 Richardson Road, Richardson, Deer Island, NB E5V 1S5.