Thanksgiving is one week from today, and Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa are, respectively, a little over two weeks and four weeks after that. It’s not too early to plan your end-of-year gifts to charitable organizations that meet your criteria for helping individuals and families in need.

Imagine that you are able every month to pay your bills for rent, heat, light, and telephone, but in Maine’s cold winter months you barely scrape by. If the car breaks down, if you or one of the children gets sick, or if you would like to buy a few holiday gifts for the family, your precarious grip on household finances begins to loosen or collapses altogether.

Fortunately, the Boothbay Region Food Pantry is able to take away some of the misery experienced by many in our community by offering a good measure of food security each month to our needy neighbors. The pantry provides a generous monthly distribution of nutritious food to families who need help, taking into account both family size and the specific needs and preferences of all our clients. In addition, Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa boxes filled to the brim with food for a special family meal are distributed to all who sign up to receive them.

The food pantry plays a significant role in our community, and it has been able to do so for some 32 years because of the often-stunning level of generosity shown by year-round and seasonal residents and by local businesses and nonprofits. As you consider end-of-year contributions to worthy causes, please set aside a generous donation for your local food pantry. Checks may be mailed to the Boothbay Region Food Pantry at P.O. Box 63, East Boothbay, ME 04544. In-kind gifts of nutritious food in boxes or cans also are welcome, so long as they are within or not far beyond their sell-by date. They may be left inside the pantry, which is located at the lower level of the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, or outside in the container near the pantry door. Thank you!

Information for clients

The Boothbay Region Food Pantry is located in the lower level of the Congregational Church at 125 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor. It serves residents in the towns of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Edgecomb. It is open every Friday from noon to 2:00 p.m. and is accessible to people in wheelchairs. The food pantry is also open on the second Monday of each month from 5 to 6 p.m. If local schools are closed because of weather conditions, the pantry also is closed.

If you have a food emergency, call the food pantry at 350-2962. New clients should provide proof of residency, such as your car registration, a recent utility bill, lease, or rent receipt. Clients should bring their own bags and boxes.

If you have signed up to receive a special Thanksgiving box of food tailored to your family’s size, be sure to pick it up at the pantry this Saturday, Nov. 18 between 10 a.m. and noon. The food pantry will not be open on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 24.

Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa boxes will be distributed from 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 16 to those who have signed up in advance. The food pantry will be open from noon to 2 p.m. on every Friday in December.