National Food Bank Week is the second week in October, which is when Connie Faulkingham contacted the newspaper about the special project she has up and running at the Lincoln Medical Partners Family Care Center on the Lincoln Health-St. Andrews campus to help the local food pantry.

Faulkingham, who became a United Way champion last year by fostering a project that helps the community, started a food shelf four years ago to collect food for the pantry at the FCC where she works as an advance certified medical assistant. The Family Care Center led by Carol A. McClure takes pride in their community service projects.

The mother of two children with her husband Steve, Faulkingham said past events made her think of the idea of paying it forward.

“Steve and I were blessed two different times with the gift of food and I’ll never forget either time. Once was after our son, Riley, was born. We were exhausted having two young babies and Jane Good and her daughter Erin came and took our daughter Maddy for the day and when they brought her back that night, they had made us dinner. The second time was at Christmastime and Steve was recovering from back surgery and was out of work for some time. We were strapped. I’m not sure how they knew, but Gary and Stacy Dickinson came to our house with a basket full of food for Christmas dinner. I burst into tears. I just remembered the feeling I got both times.”

Faulkingham said that last year, the food shelf didn’t receive many donations so she wanted to make sure people knew the shelf was available and what the pantry needed.

Some of the current items needed at the Boothbay Region Food Pantry include: peanut butter, jelly, baked beans, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce, cooking oil, spices, flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.

“Everything must have an expiration date and must not be opened or they can’t use it,” said Faulkingham.

The food shelf is in the lobby at the FCC at 19 St. Andrews Lane in Boothbay Harbor. The FCC is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. which is when food donations can be dropped off. The donations will be collected until the week of Thanksgiving.