I’ve been very blessed to have grown up on this peninsula and to have a long lineage of family from the original Barters. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of things that my ancestors did and touch their past work on my land in Bayville. It dawned on me quite a while ago that much of what we struggle with today, we’ve always faced. Whether it’s the drug pandemic, tragedies and poverty, it’s always been here. Whatever it is, convergence, technological advancements ... sometimes I question that we’re farther away while we seem more in tuned with national and worldly societal issues. We’re a league of keyboard warriors and moral police.

This is a dual-sided sword, but the greatest thing is that we practice what we preach. As individuals, we can help one another, and institutions have formed. There are great things that are conquered every day, even in our Midcoast, that we don’t hear about, maybe because they aren’t controversial enough. I think of the nonprofits that help our local, less fortunate. Especially the Newcastle Ecumenical Food Pantry, where they offer a completely free store front, replenished consistently with local farms’ harvests and larger grocery stores providing fresh, meats, dairy, produce, snacks, toiletries, diapers, etc. There isn’t any reason to struggle if you are, and if you’re burning up from frustration and despair, volunteering is an excellent outlet.

There is much to be done here and if we all contributed even on a small scale, we’d be happier, whether it’s the aspect of extenuating help for that self-gratitude or realizing that we can help play a bigger part as opposed to the repeated cackling that I often find myself participating in a lot. Whatever your reasoning, our community could use you and even help you. If you would like to get involved, I’m sure that the food pantry and the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council welcomes you.

Sam Mayhew

Boothbay Harbor