Our winter was certainly a long one and that took its toll on our neighbors in need. There was a day in March when the Food Pantry reached a peak of 50 families, and usually we served between 30-35 during that month. April is still seeing high numbers, with 35 families served last Friday.

The Food Pantry is always looking for volunteers to help out on Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The job involves helping set out the tables, managing the grocery carts, helping clients out to their cars with bags of food and then cleaning up at the end of the day. If you are interested, please call Richard Annino at 207-315-2002 for further information.

Donations continue to pour in, and that keeps our shelves well stocked. A number of friends gave to the Food Pantry in memory of Mary Jo Zimmerli, and those donations were especially meaningful as she was a good friend and neighbor to all.

The warming luncheons at local churches and town halls have ended for the season, and the Food Pantry received $1,600 from those generous folks, about $100 a week.

The Good Shepherd Food Mobile will make its last stop for the winter at the Congo Church on Friday, April 25, noon to 2 p.m. This month the food mobile is sponsored by Dead River Company, and four volunteers from that office will be there to help, along with our other faithful volunteers.

All residents of the Boothbay region needing free food to put healthy meals on the table are invited to avail themselves of this service. You do not have to be a food pantry client to take advantage of the food mobile. Please bring your own bags. On that day the regular food pantry will be open for clients, as usual, from noon to 2 p.m.

Information for clients

The Boothbay Region Food Pantry is located in the lower level of the Congregational Church at 125 Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor (enter through the parking lot on Eastern Avenue). The pantry is open every Friday (except the day after Thanksgiving) noon to 2 p.m., with seating beginning at 11:30 a.m. If the Boothbay Region School District is closed due to inclement weather, the pantry will also be closed. Clients need to provide proof of residency and household income must be within the State of Maine’s TEFAP income guidelines. If you are picking up food for someone else, please bring a signed and dated note from the person authorizing you to do so.

After all regularly scheduled clients waiting to enter the pantry have selected food from the tables, all other clients are welcome to come to the hall to select any remaining perishable food items.

If you have a food emergency, call the Congregational Church at 207-633-4757 during normal office hours to set up an appointment to get food. The church office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. If the office is closed, call food pantry director Fleet Davies at 207-350-4077 or director Tom Wilson at 207-633-4952.