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| A group of WHS students shop for goods to donate to the Windham Food Pantry with funds raised over the course of two weeks. Front from left, Layla Pinto, Amelia Richards, Hazel Lundberg, and Audrey Libby. Back from left, Madi Valliere and Peyton McLean. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
A Windham parent enlisted teens and members of the community for a food drive that raised more than $500 to purchase food items for the Windham Food Pantry, along with collecting additional food donations from Windham residents.
Angela Libby spent a little under two weeks collecting funds and donations, ending up with more than four shopping carts full of food for the food pantry. She assembled a group of teens from Windham High School to help with both collecting donations and with a shopping trip to Market Basket in Westbrook.
“I wanted to help, and I wanted my youngest daughter to be involved and see that there are people who are less fortunate than us” in the community, she said. “Having the kids hear about how many are in need, how many people come [to the Food Pantry], and what is available was really eye opening for them, which is exactly what I was looking for.”
Libby added that hearing from a food pantry volunteer that there are 38 families from the Windham Primary School seeking help from the community organization really hit home for the kids.
“It was an eye opener for them,” she said. “They couldn’t believe it. It’s hard to realize what’s going on in other kids’ homes.”
Upon hearing about recent cuts to SNAP benefits, the mother of three daughters used a group chat from a group of teens who attended Homecoming together to reach out to parents and their kids to see if any would be interested in participating.
“Everybody of course said yes,” she said. “Some kids came over with boxes of food they had collected, and others collected money.”
The day off from school to honor Veteran’s Day on Tuesday, November 4 provided a perfect opportunity for the teens to visit the grocery store and pick up items from the donated funds.
“We had a blast,” Libby said, adding that the kids maintained organized carts to ensure that there was a variety of foods purchased and worked hard to remain under the $500 budget.
The community has also given to the effort, after a posting on the Windham Maine Community Board on Facebook. More than 15 people commented on the post, 138 liked the post, and it was shared 19 times.
“People were pretty awesome,” Libby said. “The majority of this community stepped up one way or another, whether it was with us or with another program.”
Colette Gagnon, who runs the Windham Food Pantry, echoes those sentiments, saying that the residents of Windham have gone above and beyond to help those in the community who are suffering from food instability.
“They are generous like you can’t believe,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to serve that many people if the town wasn’t as generous as they have been.”
“The food drive that Angela did with her daughters was really, really nice. And there are other groups doing things of all kinds,” Gagnon added.
The Windham Food Pantry serves over 325 families currently, with that number increasing almost daily.
“I get calls practically every day, saying they don’t have their SNAP benefits and would like to sign up for the food pantry,” Gagnon said.
-With the holidays speedily approaching, the needs have grown as families look to fill their tables for those special meals. The pantry is working to build Thanksgiving baskets for those in need and has been able to complete baskets for the families who have requested them. Last year, the organization completed 70-75 baskets, while this year, they will be looking to fill “way more than 100,” Gagnon said.
“We’ve been able to fill all the baskets people have asked for, and I’m sure I will get more,” she added, noting that it is inevitable that more requests will come in as the holiday nears.
If people from the community are looking to help, the pantry benefits the most from financial donations, as it is a member of the Good Shepherd Food Bank network, which allows participating food banks to purchase food in bulk for discounted rates.
“Monetary donations would be really, really nice,” Gagnon said. “If we have monetary donations, then we’re able to purchase more food for the buck.”
She also noted another organization, the Windham Clothes Closet, which is located downstairs from the food pantry at 377 Gray Road, is also accepting donations and helps residents in need of clothing. The pantry, which is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. accepts donations and is looking for clean and lightly used or new winter clothes such as hats, gloves, jackets, boots, socks and ski pants as the weather turns cold.
Residents seeking food assistance can reach out to 207-892-1931 to schedule an appointment to visit the Food Pantry.
Donations of food and non-food items are accepted Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cash or check donations must be brought to the Town Manager’s Office, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also mail checks payable to Windham Food Pantry to 8 School Road, Windham, ME 04062. <
