Reflections from the Field

by Morgan January

This quarter I began making visits to our member food pantries in Aroostook County; I’ve visited three pantries in the past month. Let me preclude this story by saying that I am aware that Catholic Charities Maine helps put food on the tables of some of the neediest people I have ever seen. However, I feel as though I am sometimes quite removed from the entire situation.

On June 3rd, Dottie Sines of the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging and I went to the Van Buren pantry to help with the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Distribution. The Van Buren pantry is the 3rd largest CSFP distribution site with 45 seniors receiving commodities monthly. This being my first visit to a food pantry, I wasn’t prepared to see… the faces of hunger. I was visiting with an elderly lady at the pantry as she was standing in line to get her commodities and I asked her “How is this working out for you, is it helping?” and she looked down at the floor and said with tears in her eyes, “You have no idea, before this program I hadn’t had cheese in years.”

Living on the meager AmeriCorps stipend allows me to understand the struggle to put food on the table, but cheese is something I take for granted. Mike Bouchard runs the pantry in Van Buren and does an outstanding job, and while we were there we discussed the needs of the pantry. He mentioned that, like everywhere, monetary and food donations have dropped to nearly half of what they were last year although they have seen a steady rise in need. Mike noted that he had a lack of food preparation space (i.e. sink, running water, cutting/cleaning/bagging area) which made it hard to break down bulk items that we sometimes get, such as rice and pasta. Also, a local butcher offered to donate frozen beef and fresh deli meat, but because he lacked proper storage space and an area to package the meat he had to decline. His shelves were lacking some key staples so at the June CCME Distribution we gave him extra of everything we had to try and generate some relief.

After our CSFP distribution in Fort Kent on June 10, Dottie Sines, my mother, and I visited the Greater Fort Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry and St. Mary’s Food Pantry in Eagle Lake. The Fort Kent Pantry does a great job, and they run a very tight ship. Unlike the Van Buren pantry, they have an adequate amount of storage space as well as places to cut/clean/bag items. During the summer months they receive all the fresh produce from a garden that the local 4-H has planted. The Fort Kent Pantry does not handle any CSFP packages due to limitations on space. Lesley Kelley runs the Fort Kent food pantry and said they were in short supply of condiments like ketchup and mustard; she explained that those items are hardly ever donated and they are among the most requested.

St. Mary’s Food Pantry in Eagle Lake is operated by Tommy Labbe – it is one of our newest and smallest food pantries. We visited Tommy two days after our June CCME Monthly distribution that also included TeFAP commodities (TeFAP is a USDA program that is distributed 4 times/year and it usually doubles what our pantries take home). This pantry is located in the basement of the local Knight’s of Columbus building; it has a long row of shelving, one chest freezer, and no fresh storage. When we arrived Tommy had just finished completing his boxes for pick-up that was the next day. His shelves were nearly bare two days after distribution! Each month Eagle Lake serves on average 170 individuals, with 68 of those being children, and 36 seniors. Many places in Northern Maine have been affected by layoffs and people are turning to the food pantry for help. Tommy explained that both St. Mary’s and the Knight’s of Columbus chapter have collections taken up in the pantry’s name and that is his only source of funding. Donations of food from the community do come in, although in relatively small numbers. Tommy said if he could have anything, he needed more freezer space due the large amounts of frozen food CCME hands out.

My mind was reeling after I left this pantry – I was mad. My mother told me that she supported me when I moved across the country to be an AmeriCorps member and after seeing the work I do she understands why I did it. I came back and talked to Dixie, and she told me to talk to our warehouse manager and see what we could do about getting Tommy some more food. The following week we were able to give Eagle Lake an entire truckload of extra food (the third one this month)! I mentioned to one of our volunteers how badly Eagle Lake needed a freezer. I took a few days off and when I returned the following week I had a chest freezer waiting in the food warehouse – my volunteer ‘knew’ someone. I called Tommy and told him the good news and he came a few days later and picked it up along with another truckload of food. He thanked me for looking out for him.

Being able to go out to the pantries and identify their individual needs helps me help them.

Morgan January is a Community Resource Corps AmeriCorps Member. She serves at Catholic Charities Home Supply and Food Bank in Aroostook County. She is a guest blogger.