RAYMOND – Every Tuesday morning Sabrina Golabiewski of Raymond takes a drive to the stores that have contracts with The Vineyard of Mechanic Falls Church to pick up fresh-rescue food items. Golabiewski then brings the items home, boxes them up, sends out a mass text to the community, and opens up her home for families to pick up these items anytime from noon to 7 p.m. the same day.
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| Sabrina Golabiewski of Raymond and her family pick up fresh-rescue food items at stores in the Lakes Region and then bring the items to their home every week for anyone in need in the community. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
“I started picking up fresh rescues for my church and because I have five kids, they said I could help myself to extras. When I got there, I was so overwhelmed by the amount of food that could potentially be thrown out,” said Golabiewski.
From what started as a small gesture of picking up extras for her friends and storing them in her single freezer space, the concept has expanded to providing items for between 11 to 26 families a week and they now have five freezers, some coming as donations from her community and church.
Most local food pantries have a small window of about two hours once to twice a month for families to pick up,” Golabiewski said. “I cater more to the working families so they can pick up after work.”
The most common items they collect from Golabiewski are baked goods, and lots of them. They also frequently receive produce, deli meats and some pre-made sandwiches, all not up to shopping standards to be sold, but too good to go to waste.
But she doesn’t do it all alone.
Her youngest son, Caden, 9, goes to the stores and helps pick up food with his mother. When they arrive home, the remaining four children, Cameryn, 10, Ethan, 14, Ashten, 16, Greyson, 18, all jump in to help haul the goods into the house.
There is one more team member that influenced Sabrina to have a giving heart, her mother, Connie, age 71.
“She just has a service heart,” says Golabiewski, “I definitely saw how much it meant for her to do things for others so even as a salty teenager I was happy to do these things.”
On Tuesday mornings, the family takes over the kitchen and dining room, and with food items spread out to be organized, Connie counts to make sure there’s enough boxes. Everything is then kept cool in an air-conditioned bedroom for people to come in and get their box.
To make sure nothing goes to waste, Sabrina also sends out a Facebook post so that those not in the mass texts can also have a chance at some support.
Sabrina hopes that her actions will influence her children to carry on helping their community as they grow up, just in the same way Sabrina’s mother influenced her.
“As a single mom, it’s important for my kids to see how fortunate and how blessed we are,” she said.
In addition, Golabiewski runs the 302 Nutrition shop in Raymond. This summer, a friend helps cover Sabrina’s shifts on Tuesdays while she manages the food pantry. In the fall and winter, they shut down the shop on those days to run the food pantry instead.
“Feeding the families is far more important than being open for a couple hours on a Tuesday,” said Golabiewski.
When she started at 302 Nutrition, she thought it would be a great way to give back to her community and to use the store as another way to do food drives.
In the five years that Golabiewski has been running this service for those in need, they have only missed about four to five days in total but otherwise are open every Tuesday.
“If it comes down to heating your home or eating, I don’t want to make people have to choose that,” she said. <
