Before heading into the square white building from last Sunday morning’s gray fall chill, cheerful music was already playing outside. One already could feel a lighter step walking into the American Legion Hall Post 36. Nancy Palmer Van Dyke, a regular Legion volunteer, responded cheerfully with “I am super Jim Dandy Fine!” in response to the generic “How are you?” The rest of the dozen or so regular American Legion volunteers were bustling around, getting ready for a Sunday morning breakfast, one in a series that they regularly offer to the community. This one was a little different and out of pattern, even set at a slightly different time. It was a special joint effort with the Boothbay Region YMCA. Seven Y volunteers, new to the Legion’s well-oiled morning routine, showed up at 7:30 a.m. with goodwill and food donations, one with her own whimsical apron, all asking, “Put me to work.” The goal was clear: a desire to join together to offer a free community breakfast with voluntary donations going to support the Boothbay Region Food Pantry and leftover food to be delivered to the Community Resource Councils (CRC)’s 24/7 Community Fridge.

Over 40 people arrived to eat, some asking, “So why is breakfast free today?” When told that it was to support the Food Pantry, they nodded and many generously added money to the silver bucket. Others came to donate food instead of money, and a few helped clean in lieu of cash; some arrived simply to eat and to enjoy the fellowship of others. More than $523 was collected, but it was the spirit of togetherness, of connection, and of community heart that was beating throughout the Legion Hall. Joanne Smith, treasurer of the Boothbay Region Food Pantry, who was called out of town, said, “we are so grateful for the efforts of the Y and the Legion to not just help stock the Food Pantry but to step in to assist the whole community.”

After the pancakes, eggs, sausage, toast, and bacon that Y CEO Andy Hamblett was “serving up like salad,” volunteers packed up over a dozen packages of warm breakfast containers and leftover loaves of bread, English muffins, and eggs that were delivered to the CRC’s 24/7 Community Fridge behind the Boothbay Town Hall. “Gracias, muchas gracias,” one person said when the warm breakfast boxes were passed into his grateful hands.” A volunteer couple who were checking to ensure that the pantry was stocked for the day were visibly pleased to see that there was plenty of produce, frozen bread, salad in the fridge, and staples on hand. One man who was waiting his turn said quietly, “this pantry has been a lifesaver, literally. It has helped me with my Type 2 diabetes and I am so grateful. Bless you.”

Representative Holly Stover and the director of operations at the Community Resource Center (CRC) attended the breakfast and said there are many organizations in town that are wanting to help the community, especially now. We talked about how food insecurity in our community is going to continue to be an issue long after the federal crisis is over but that the current situation is putting a spotlight on the need in our region. We talked about how it has increased the desire for our community to come together with a desire to help. Stover is leading a community collaborative discussion about the peninsula food resources and how we get food resource information out to our community.

Stover shared that the CRC Community Navigator, Hannah Corkum, will be meeting with the 283 SNAP households beginning Nov. 10 and will be providing a $250 Hannaford cards to those recipients.

In the meantime, the Boothbay Y is accepting food donations in the main lobby throughout November and continues to deliver at least weekly to the Boothbay Region Food Pantry located at the Congregational Church; last week there was 195 pounds of food donated and the lobby tables were immediately filled with food again. What a community!

Finally, the American Legion and the Boothbay Region YMCA will be co-hosting a free Thanksgiving Community meal on Saturday, Nov. 22 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Legion Hall. Again, donations will benefit the Boothbay Region Food Pantry and leftover food will be delivered to the CRC’s Community Fridge. Donations of food and time are gratefully accepted. Please contact Allyson Goodwin at agoodwin@brymca.org if you would like to help support that effort.

“We are glad to be able to support the community” said Robin Ford, Commander of Post 36. “To have our volunteers work together with the Y’s volunteers to benefit the region’s two Food Pantries means that four non-profits in town are joining forces to help the greater community. I think that’s pretty great.”