The Boothbay Region Food Pantry has two main priorities: to offer food that is nutritious and to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry.

The pantry’s ability to provide Christmas boxes and equally overflowing Thanksgiving boxes, as well as to give regular monthly food allotments to its clients, is of course dependent on food and financial donations by many year-round and seasonal residents in the Boothbay peninsula. Thank you for your generous assistance prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. We were able to provide Thanksgiving boxes to about 125 families in the Boothbay region this year.

It is no exaggeration to say that the pantry’s directors are frequently astonished and humbled because of the generosity shown by community members throughout the calendar year, especially during the holiday season. Once again, we hope that many will open their pocketbooks and their hearts as 2019 draws to a close. Financial gifts are particularly useful, as dollars can go a long way toward purchasing healthy food. Checks may be made out to the Boothbay Region Food Pantry and mailed to P.O. Box 63, East Boothbay, ME 04544. Canned and boxed food also is welcome and may be left in the receptacle near the food pantry door. Please be sure that food donations have not passed their sell-by dates, as the pantry cannot use them.

Food pantry directors and volunteers will be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday morning, Dec. 21, to distribute well over 100 boxes for a Christmas feast to families in the Boothbay region. Each box will contain carrots, peas, potatoes, squash, onions, a can of pineapple slices, a bag of rolls, a dessert mix, and more. In addition, each family will receive a voucher to be redeemed at Hannaford for a ham or chicken, according to their choice. The contents of each box will be tailored to the size of the family. Clients need to sign up at the Food Pantry in order to receive their Christmas box and voucher. The last day to sign up is Dec. 13, but the pantry will try to accommodate latecomers as quantities allow.
Now that our summer helpers have left the region, the pantry needs additional volunteers. Please telephone 350-2692 if you can help.

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 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is accessible to people in wheelchairs. The food pantry also is 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. Don’t forget to sign up for a Christmas box and a chicken or ham by Dec. 13 and to pick up your box and voucher on Saturday morning, Dec. 21, between 10 a.m. and noon. If you need further information or help, call the food pantry at 350-2692.