A few of the many volunteers enjoying an appreciation luncheon at Crossroads United Methodist Church after the July Senior Food Distribution Day. Photo: Lisa Blanchette
By Lisa Blanchette
For 13 years, volunteers from Crossroads United Methodist Church and the community have stepped up to help make sure senior citizens have access to food staples and produce through two programs. The Women’s group at Crossroads thought it was time that someone said, “thank you,” so they organized an appreciation luncheon following the July distribution and even secured a special treat from Shain’s of Maine for the luncheon’s dessert.
The Thursday following the first Friday of each month, a large tractor-trailer filled with pallets of food pulls into the church yard, where volunteers are waiting to break down the pallets and separate them into bags or boxes. This food comes through two programs: one is Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which is income-based and provides assorted staples like peanut butter, cereal, rice, and canned goods; the other is Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Food Mobile, which is available to anyone over 60 and provides assorted fresh produce. In July, volunteers distributed 170 of the CSFP boxes and 190 Food Mobile boxes.
In the beginning, each program had a separate day, so recipients had to make two trips. That has merged to one day, making it easier for both programs. At the onset, Crossroads was approached and offered a small stipend to be the distribution location to offset the cost of extra plowing and wear and tear on the parking lot, etc. After a couple of years, due to funding cuts, the program was no longer able to pay the stipend and was going to have to move the distribution location, but a convenient spot was difficult to find. At that point, Crossroads decided to continue the project without any compensation. It’s now done this for many years.
This distribution effort goes on in all types of weather, and the CSFP boxes weigh 30-40 pounds each. Some of the faithful volunteers come from Living Innovations, a local disability service and support organization. Some are from Crossroads United Methodist Church, some from other churches and civic organizations. Some students help for community service credit, and others faithfully volunteer because they saw the notice on Facebook or in the paper and want to be a part of this effort.
One of the organizers at Crossroads said, “I hate that we have seniors in our community that need programs like these to survive, but I am so thankful that these programs exist and our church is able to be a location to make the distribution possible.”
Anyone who would like to volunteer can call Marsha at 207-247-1210 or Candy at 207-324-1493. Seniors who want to check their eligibility for CSFP can contact the Southern Maine Agency on Aging at 207-396-6500 for eligibility information and an application. Seniors who want to stop by for the Food Mobile can stop by on Aug. 13 and can also pick up an application for the CSFP then.
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