Boothbay Region Food Pantry needs more volunteers

Mon, 01/30/2023 - 11:00am

The Boothbay Region Food Pantry needs more able-bodied volunteers. It needs strong people able to lift heavy boxes and to help setting up and taking down the tables and chairs needed for Friday distributions. In addition, many times there are other large deliveries of food to be distributed. Potential volunteers should call the food pantry at 207-350-2962 for more information and to sign up to help.

The pantry was founded as a nonprofit organization more than 50 years ago.  It is open every Friday (except the day after Thanksgiving).  Primarily because of the ongoing generosity of seasonal and year-round residents, the pantry is able to offer a wide variety of fresh, canned, frozen, and boxed food free to clients who come once a month and to anyone  who has an emergency situation.

The food pantry is located in the fellowship hall of the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor and is managed by a board of directors from the four towns that compose the region:  Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Edgecomb.  The directors meet once a month to sign up for weekly pantry duties.  These include shopping, sorting donated food, checking sell-by dates, and stocking pantry shelves.   In addition, in the growing season, fresh fruit and vegetables regularly donated by several local farms require special handling.

Preparing for the weekly pantry and cleaning up afterwards requires four directors plus additional volunteers. They set out tables full of fresh food, help clients develop a list of foods they need, distribute vouchers for fresh dairy products sold by the local Hannaford store, help clients take groceries to their cars, and, after the pantry closes, restock the pantry, clear the tables and chairs, and clean fellowship hall as needed. 

Expanding the list of volunteers will help streamline the pantry’s capacity to serve those in need of assistance. Thank you for your help!