Manchester School students take food insecurity to heart

By Ed Pierce

Like a pebble thrown into a pond, a recent presentation at Manchester School in Windham has created positive ripples that will help make the community stronger.

Some of the Manchester School fourth graders who helped
create and stage a food drive to benefit the Windham Food
Pantry are, from left, Aubrey Eklund, Maddie Talbot,
Ryder Rice, and Ryder Alfred-Smothers.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Back on Jan. 5, Misty Coolidge, a New Gloucester resident and Mrs. Worldwide 2022, shared with Manchester fourth-grade students her message of how everyone can work to help resolve the problem of food insecurity in Windham. Coolidge has dedicated her adult life to fighting hunger and addressing food insecurity following a childhood of relying on food stamps and the WIC program. In speaking about food insecurity and hunger at the school, she read excerpts from the book “We All Stir The Pot: To End Hunger” that she co-authored with Bobbie Bensur, and her appearance was part of a hunger unit with lessons in six different classrooms about equity, scarcity, needs and wants, available resources and food insecurity.

According to Leah Richards, a Manchester School fourth-grade teacher, Coolidge’s words impacted students significantly.

“All of the students who participated in the presentation from Misty were inspired and motivated to make a difference,” Richards said. “Her stories of helping the Good Shepherd Food Bank gave students the idea that they can also help. I believe that hearing her stories of helping others pushed students to think about how they can give back, especially to the local community.”

Richards said that seven students from two classrooms decided to conduct a food drive of their own to do something to help address the problem of hunger in the community.

“Students worked on creating the idea for their food drive during our project week in the middle of February,” Richards said. “When we returned from break on Feb. 27, students began to put their work into action. They worked on gathering donations through March 24.”

She said that participating students made announcements at school, both in the morning and in the afternoon, asking students and staff to bring in donations for the food pantry. They also sent home a note in the school’s Newsline letting families know that the food drive was going on and any donations that were brought in were dropped off in the school lobby, in Richards' room, or in Mrs. Blanchard/Ms. Pierce's room.

The students had established a goal of collecting 50 canned items, but at the end of their food drive, they were shocked and thrilled to see that they surpassed that goal and collected 158 items for donation to the Windham Food Pantry.

During the "Hunger Hits Home" lessons unit at Manchester School, students learned about food insecurity through guest speakers, short stories, and research. For their final projects, Richards said that students were given the opportunity to present their learning and ideas in a format that worked best for their learning style and in a way that allowed them to dive deeper on a concept they found interesting, such as budgeting, giving back, providing the community information around resources, and other ideas, one being a food drive created and run entirely by students.

“I found this project to be important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I think it is insanely important for students to recognize that they can make a difference in the community. We are constantly teaching students to think about how they can help and support one another, and this project really showed that they take that to heart,” Richards said. “Second, I think it is important for students to be able to take charge of their learning and allow their interests and passions to guide them. The fact that a group of students thought that this would be the perfect way to showcase their learning is what gave them the energy to create and hold such a successful food drive. Finally, I think it is important for students to recognize how many people struggle with food insecurity in our community and what resources are available to help these families.”

Students say it was rewarding to be involved in the food drive.

“I wanted to help people who don't have food, because I feel really bad for them and it's not fair for these people,” said fourth grader Aubrey Eklund.

“I wanted to raise resources for people in need,” said fourth grader Ryder Alfred-Smothers.

“I wanted to help with the food drive because it's important for other people to have food too,” said fourth grader Maddie Talbot.

Fourth grader Ryder Rice said that the hardest part of the food drive was getting people on board to do it and donate.

“We should maybe do another food drive at the beginning of next school year,” Rice said. “We should do it again to help others.”

Coolidge said that she’s humbled to play a small part in inspiring Manchester students to help others.

“This is my why. I get asked by so many, why do you do all that you do? This is why. To inspire change, to educate our children on food insecurity, to not 'make fun' of those that don't have what you have, to normalize it because it's never going away,” Coolidge said. “In my travels across the country as former Mrs. USA and now Mrs. Worldwide, food banks are seeing a 50 percent increase in those that have never visited a food bank before. That number is astounding. I hope my book starts a conversation between parents and their kids about the reality of hunger and possibly even prompts the question of how they can help.

“It's clear here that my visit to Manchester School had an impact on these kids and I'm so happy that they took the initiative to give back to their community,” she said. “Truly amazing. I hope that all my visits encourage change in their districts and possibly inspire a Hunger Action Month each year and that they ask me to return to visit.”

Richards said the one thing she wants her students to take away from this experience is that they recognize that they can make a difference.

“Sometimes we forget that these little people have a fire inside them too, and they can use that to create such a change,” Richards said. “I want them to remember the difference and impact that they made at such a young age and continue to use their voice and actions to make the community, and world, a better place. I also want them to be able to recognize that there are resources for them, their neighbors, and their friends to help them if they are in need. We learned a lot about how many people struggle with food insecurity and that there are resources in place to help them.” <

Mrs. Maine USA 2021 winner exemplifies true determination

Misty Coolidge of New Gloucester has
been named as Mrs. Maine USA 2021
and will represent the state in the national
Mrs. USA Pageant in Omaha, Nebraska
in July. SUBMITTED PHOTO

MISTY COOLIDGE TO COMPETE FOR NATIONAL TITLE IN JULY

By Ed Pierce

This year's Mrs. Maine USA winner is a familiar face for many couples in the Lakes Region as someone who helped make their wedding day so special. Misty Coolidge of New Gloucester was awarded the 2021 crown on Jan. 25 and will now compete for the national Mrs. USA 2021 title in Omaha, Nebraska in July.

  

Coolidge, 45, operates two highly successful wedding businesses and venues, Coolidge Family Farm in New Gloucester and Coolidge Chapel in Gray, and a mobile bar company, Maine Mixologists, that travels throughout the state to serve cocktails for weddings and other special events. Through her work, Coolidge has assisted many couples in celebrating the wedding of their dreams through careful planning in a spectacular setting.

She and her husband of seven years, Peter DeBear, are the parents of three children, and believe in giving back to their community through a variety of community activities. Coolidge is a member of her local school board, sits on the GNG Development Corp., started a local Empowering Women's group, and is a volunteer for Good Shepherd Food Bank. 

Her path to winning the title shows determination and willingness to adapt to challenges. Coolidge was born in Waterville, grew up in Norridgewock, and graduated from Skowhegan Area High School. Following graduation from high school, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Law from what was then Husson College, now Husson University, in Bangor.

“I was planning to attend law school after college and studied for my LSATs on the beach after graduation but life took me into the legal field as a paralegal instead,” Coolidge said. “I worked as an Intellectual Property Paralegal at Preti Flaherty for seven years and then as a Real Estate Paralegal for Dead River Company for 15 years before being laid off. That was the kick start I needed to start my own businesses, be my own boss, raise a family, and put my passion for love into a full-time career.”

Building her businesses wasn’t easy.

“My husband and I purchased the New Gloucester Coolidge Family Farm property about seven years ago,” she said. “It is an 11-acre retired farm venue with a colonial farmhouse that sleeps 10 and an attached barn, both built in 1860. “We restored the house and barn to the beauty it is today. I host approximately 30 intimate and magical wedding experiences there each year and am the partial planner/coordinator for all my couples to help them alleviate any stress they may be carrying. My couples are an extension of my family and every year I'm humbled and honored that they chose me to share in their wedding journey.”

The venue also consists of an adjacent house which Coolidge calls the "Groom's house" that was added four years ago. She and her husband also purchased the land behind the farm two years ago where she designed and had three cottages placed. One is a Honeymoon Cottage that Coolidge runs year-round for not only wedding weekends, but also for other couples wanting a place to escape for a romantic getaway. The other two cottages accommodate parents or overflow bridal party guests.

Three years ago, Coolidge also purchased and painstakingly restored a one-room wedding chapel in Gray that she renamed Coolidge Chapel, that couples use for marriage ceremonies. It also hosts bridal showers, baby showers, networking events, and smaller receptions for under 50 people.

“I'm also a Notary Public and marry a handful of my couples each year and do spontaneous ceremonies on other days of the week elsewhere around the state,” she said. “It's so fun getting a call on a Sunday from a couple visiting Maine that wants to get married as soon as possible. I love love, but spontaneous love is truly special.”

If that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Coolidge also operates Maine Mixologists, a mobile bar service that travels throughout Maine serving cocktails for weddings and other events.

“I've got about 30 bartenders and other serve staff, three company vans, lots of bar rentals, and just purchased and converted a 1994 Chevy Grumman food truck into a mobile bar that I've dubbed my little ‘Whiskey Girl’ since whiskey is by far the most popular spirit these days and my personal fav too,” Coolidge said.

In 2016, Coolidge entered a pageant for the time and placed Second Runner-Up in Mrs. Maine America competition. She won the Spirit Award and the Gown Award and gave her motivation to continue competing.

“I was so inspired by the experience and enjoyed it so much, that I just knew it was going to be the start of my pageantry journey,” she said.

After a year off to have another baby, Coolidge won the 2018 Mrs. Maine International title and advanced to compete in the national pageant that year in West Virginia. In 2019, she competed in New York City for the International Ms. National Pageant title and vied for the 2020 Mrs. Maine America crown once again, and although she didn’t win, she won the pageant’s Community Service Award and Spirit Award for a second time.

Finishing second in a bid for state representative last fall, Coolidge took some time off to refocus her energy and had a hunch 2021 was going to be a big year for her.

“I once again found myself back to researching the USA pageant system and started following their queens, messaging with the director, and learning more and more about their mission,” Coolidge said. “On Jan. 25, I was honored to be crowned your Mrs. Maine USA 2021. I've got so many big dreams and aspirations and am so excited for a year of representing a state that I love so much here and in Omaha in July. Then I plan to ramp up my service countrywide when I bring home the title of Mrs. USA 2021.”

Between now and the national competition in July, Coolidge said that she’ll be working with a pageant coach (the reigning Mrs. Galaxy) to prepare her to compete and acquire the tools she needs to win.

“We'll be Zooming once a month to discuss wardrobe, my platform, perfecting interview techniques and skills, and I'll be focusing on my health and getting fit for the stage,” she said. “I'll also be focusing on my platform which is fighting hunger and food insecurity throughout our state. I'll be spending time volunteering at the Good Shepherd Food Bank, hosting a Quilt Auction in May at my venue for the Margaret Murphy School to credit their account at the Good Shepherd, will be hosting my annual 5K for Hunger in June, and making other appearances for other great causes.”

According to Coolidge, she’s grateful for the support of her husband, her 5-year-old twins, Eva and Caden, and 3-year-old daughter, Grace. She credits her grandmother and her mother for serving as excellent role models in her life.

“My mom is a very talented seamstress and has altered many of my gowns and came to my rescue at my state International pageant when an entire row of sequins came off my gown before going out on stage,” Coolidge said. “She painstakingly hand-sewed them all back on for me. Both women raised me to be a strong, independent woman who has a big heart and a powerhouse personality. My mom has always been an entrepreneur and owned a bridal shop growing up which is most likely where I got my passion for working with brides. I'm honored to have been raised by these amazing women.”

As the reigning Mrs. Maine USA 2021, Coolidge will spend some time making appearances around the state and can be reached by email at misty.coolidge@gmail.com and she can be followed on Facebook at Mrs. Maine USA 2021.

For Coolidge, she said that the best part of being involved in a pageant is traveling and meeting other amazing women who inspire her to be better than she was yesterday.

“Afterall, there is only one winner, so the majority of those who compete leave without a crown, but if you enter the pageant with the goal of having fun, presenting your best self, and making lifelong friends, then what you leave with is so rewarding,” she said. “Each pageant experience has been different, but I've grown with each one.” <

The multi-faceted life of a local entrepreneur and philanthropist by Lorraine Glowczak

Misty Coolidge

The first paragraph in a newspaper article most often identifies the who, what, when, where, how and why to introduce the major details of the subject. In this case, the who is Misty Coolidge. 
 

To address the other five topics requires a novel length composition in Coolidge’s circumstance and cannot be captured in one sentence or identified in a 500-word article. However, much like Coolidge, we are always up for a challenge and will do our best to capture this entrepreneur and philanthropist’s unique energy, style and contribution to her community.

Many recently married couples know Coolidge through her farm and barn wedding venue, Coolidge Family Farm located in New Gloucester, co-owned with her husband Peter. Her mother, step-father, aunt and cousin also help in this family owned business.

Coolidge is all hands on when it comes to helping the newlyweds have their dream wedding. “Despite my dream of having a barn wedding of my own, we discovered that our budget was not going to allow for it, so one of the reasons for starting this adventure was to provide a beautiful venue at an affordable price and provide as much as I could to my couples to ease the stress of planning and making a budget work,” explained Coolidge.

In her bartending role

Others may know or have worked with Coolidge through her bartending enterprise, Maine Mixologist, LLC. Besides offering this service at the Farm, you can find Coolidge and/or her 15 qualified bartenders at other venues in multiple locations from Kennebunkport to Stockton Springs and beyond. To keep the family vibe, her sister and cousin are two of her bartenders.

If operating two businesses wasn’t enough to keep this mother of three small children (under three) busy, she somehow finds time to follow her love of history and historical preservation.

 
Coolidge recently purchased and is in the process of renovating the Old Baptist Church, 16 Shaker Road in Gray. This church was once the home of an antique shop that included an apartment over the shop and church owner, Victor Downs. 

“I have always loved the quaint beauty of that church,” Coolidge said. “I knew one day I would purchase that building to preserve its historical beauty and make it an alternative location for my wedding customers in case of inclement weather. I also want to make the chapel available for other local venues, for networking events, family gatherings, bridal showers and dinner parties to name just a few possibilities.”

After the passing of Downs, Coolidge reached out to his family after they put their father’s home and antique shop on the market. “They were very happy about my interest in preserving the church,” Coolidge stated. “They said that their father would have been very pleased with my desire to keep the building intact instead of demolishing it to make room for a parking lot, which was its destiny.” The church renovation will be completed early this summer and an open house will take place.

 

When Coolidge is not running two businesses, raising a family, making bride’s dreams come true and restoring history, she does as much as she can to give back.  Her passion for service began at Husson College where her sorority’s dedication to community service fueled her passion to help others. One way she hopes to open some doors and really make a huge difference was in her decision to run for Mrs. Maine and help fight hunger. Two years ago, she competed for Mrs. Maine America where she placed 3rd out of 18 wonderful women. Then she took a year off to add a third child to their family, but she is back at it competing for a more community service-based organization, Mrs. Maine International. Currently holding the title of Mrs. New Gloucester, she’ll be competing with 5 other amazing women this Sunday, April 22nd at the Crooker Theater in Brunswick.

The pageant and the organization highlight married women, their accomplishments and commitment to family and marriage, while promoting their individual passions. The contestants’ passions are funneled into fundraising efforts to help meet the needs of others or non-profit organizations.

“My platform is fighting hunger,” Coolidge explained about her role as Mrs. New Gloucester. “I have raised funds and continue to raise funds for area food pantries including the New Gloucester Food Pantry. On May 6, I will host the second annual Running of the Brides 5K at Coolidge Family Farm. Most people, both men and women, will run in wedding dresses.” The money raised from this event will go toward Good Shephard Food Bank.  

In addition to family and friends, couples who are booked at the Farm for 2018 and 2019 are invited to raise money toward the cause as well. The couple who raises the most will get $500 off their venue or other services. 

This impressive list of accomplishments does not end here. Coolidge will also be running as a democrat for House District 65 (New Gloucester and parts of Poland.) Being a relative of Calvin Coolidge, lover of history and politics, and a passion for doing what’s right and good are in her blood. “I believe in small country values and I am against big business in politics. It is my goal to participate in civil discussion with both parties and to get matters resolved for my neighbors. It’s all about serving them.”

One would assume that a woman this successful, passionate, giving and who is a relative of a former U.S. President would have been born with a silver spoon. This is not the case. Coolidge explains: “My mother raised three children as a single mother. Despite her hard work, she still needed to utilize State services and utilized the ‘free lunch’ program at school.  I guess that's where my passion for helping the local food pantries comes from. Not that we went hungry, but the statistics on those that do (1 in 5 school children) makes me want to help all those other single moms or families who do not have enough to eat at home”. 

It seems Coolidge found the skills to follow her dreams and passions. But instead of focusing solely on her own needs, she has stopped, reflected and reached back to grab the hands of others so that they, too, can live to their fullest possibility.