Neighbors are helped in spirit of season

Community members with budgets large and small, with roots in the county and from away, are digging deep to help their neighbors in need. With the pandemic crisis, food pantries have seen a surge in need, and with winter's first snowstorm and single digit numbers hovering on the sidelines, heating funds are gearing up for heavy demand.

Donations support area pantries
Lynn Rutledge, president of the Greater Eastport Ecumenical Churches Association that manages the Labor of Love Food Pantry and the Community Emergency Fuel Fund, is glad to report that both programs "have seen contributions during this time of COVID 19." She illustrates the responses coming from close to home and farther away. "One out of town supporter of the pantry called me to ask how to help a family with children during the holidays. We worked together to identify a prospect, and the family was overwhelmed to receive a generous gift card from someone they don't know and will never meet." Others gave their federal stimulus checks that were distributed in the spring and early summer. Rutledge notes, "We're sure because the contributions were in increments of $1,200."
The Machias Food Pantry has seen the same level of giving, including stimulus checks being turned over to help others in greater need. Like Rutledge, the Machias pantry director, Ken Warner, is grateful for donations of all sizes. "A donation of $10, it's a lot," he says. "It's valuable to me when it comes from an individual's pocket. It's just as important as corporate gifts."
And corporations have been stepping up to the plate, sharing resources from funds for grocery gift cards to Christmas trees strung with lights. Utility company Versant Power just called, he says, to have some paperwork filled out for their donation program. Another company based in the region donated cases of canned soup to distribute to pantry clients.
Warner says that the CEO of Wireless Partners "called out of the blue. He was gracious with gift cards, and then to offer the trees." Warner pauses. "It was Santa Claus. It was overwhelming." The wireless company donated a $5,000 check to be used to purchase Hannaford grocery gift cards as well as Christmas trees to nine families that would have been without. CEO and President Robert Parsloe says, "We are a small veteran owned and operated company and remain committed to being a good neighbor in your community, so our employees engaged into the communities we serve, from Downeast Maine, to Coos County, N.H., to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, and delivered trees with lights and stands, gifts, Hannaford gift cards, library books and clothes."
He adds, "This is not just about giving back for this holiday season, as we are hopeful that we can continue to be a community partner for the foreseeable future."

Pantries aid those in need
Marga James, the floor manager at the Machias pantry, worked with a single father with four children. "They were in quite a bind for Christmas." The family of five received a holiday tree, gifts from the Christmas Giving Tree program, gift cards to purchase items and food. "We really turned Christmas around for them," she says with gratitude.
Among many she works with is a grandmother who cares for six of her grandchildren, who live with her. James points out that it's hard for the grandmother, as an elderly woman, to get out, because of pandemic concerns. The pantry works to help with her needs, and one program that has just started up is a service implemented by Downeast Community Partners using volunteers who deliver. "We are very grateful for their help," adds James, and she points to all the volunteers who give their time, energy and compassion to help their neighbors get through tough times.
Rutledge echoes the sentiment about volunteers and donations. "We are grateful for all contributions, whatever the size, because they indicate that people care about what happens to their neighbors."
She adds, "We've had inquiries from people interested in volunteering as well. Because we have changed our method of distribution to a drive through model, we are operating with a smaller core of volunteers for the time being."
One Eastport resident explained why she gives, stating, "When you have a comfortable life and have more than you need, it comes naturally to help." She sees how long the drive in food pantry lines are on distribution days. "The wonderful thing about small towns is that we take care of each other."