As part of Hannaford’s Grand Reopening celebration, the supermarket donated $2,000 to the Community Resource Council’s Food for Thought Program during the barbecue on Saturday, July 18.

Despite the rainy conditions, volunteers were still hard at work grilling up hot dogs, with or without onions, for people doing their shopping. Volunteers offered up sunglasses, spatulas and plates for free. There was also a drawing for gift certificates and a grill. The Community Band didn’t let the rain deter them, and set up inside the building to keep their instruments from getting wet.

“We like to donate to the communities we serve,” said Robert Hatem, director of operations for 13 of Hannaford’s stores. “We usually do this part closer to the grand reopening day, but decided to wait until the summer was in full swing. It’s part of showing the community that we care about them; giving back and having some fun at the same time.”

“We’ll use this money to buy groceries for the program,” Mary Patch of the CRC said. “It’s a wonderful gift for the kids we serve. Hannaford is a huge part of this program, and allows us to help families in need.”

“Last week we sent home rice, beans and sausage for a meal to families in the program,” Nancy Van Dyke of the CRC said. “Our focus is the kids, but it helps everyone in the family too.”

“It’s part of everyone working together to bring things full circle,” Store Manager Ben Convery said. 

“I felt a little guilty a week ago; I cleared the shelves of bread,” Patch said. “Sometimes I go up to the Damariscotta Hannaford because I feel guilty about the overflowing carts and how little food I leave on the shelf.”