Raymond family’s food pantry makes a difference in community

By Kaysa Jalbert

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.

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

Over the past five years, Sabrina Golabiewski has devoted her time and freezer space managing a food pantry from her own home as an extension of her church to make resources more widely available for families in her community.

“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. <

No Empty Bowl Pet Food Pantry II helps keep pets nourished

The No Empty Bowl Pet Food Pantry II is a new
initiative in Cumberland and York counties that assists
pet owners in obtaining food for their pets at no
cost. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Elizabeth Richards

Backpacks for Homeless Dogs, a project of the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance, has recently expanded its reach to become a pet food pantry for anyone in need.  The name for this new program is No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry II.

For five years, Nadine Molloy ran the No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry out of her Waterboro home.  Earlier this year, when the undertaking became too large for one person to manage, Pittie Posse Rescue and Sanctuary took over the program. The new No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry II is run by Journey, who has no legal last name.

While working with the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance, Journey noticed that several of the homeless, especially in Portland, had dogs – and one woman had a cat. Inspired by seeing a homeless woman who had dogs help a homeless man with his dog, Journey began the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs project.  

“I started thinking if the homeless lady can help the homeless guy with a dog, why can’t I,” she said.  She, and others with the MHVA, began bringing backpacks filled with dog treats, food, and other necessities when they went out to help the homeless. “It snowballed from there,” she said.

Journey began receiving messages from others in tight situations, such as a woman who, at the end of the month, had to decide between buying milk and bread or cat litter.  She also helped families who had been homeless, got an apartment, and were suddenly faced with many bills to pay, by providing dog food for a few months to give them time to adjust.

“It kept getting bigger and bigger, and then the coronavirus hit,” Journey said.  Suddenly, people who never thought they’d have trouble getting pet food either couldn’t afford it, or simply couldn’t find what they needed.  There was a backlog at Chewy.com, and stores were thin on supplies, Journey said. “People started panicking,” she said. 

With three cats, a dog, and a hermit crab rescue, Journey could empathize.  “I just couldn’t imagine if I didn’t have a way to get my animals some food,” she said.  “I would be devastated.”

 “Some other folks who were giving pet food were telling people that if they couldn’t afford to feed their pet, maybe they shouldn’t have it. And they’re supposed to be helping,” Journey said.  “I put out [a message saying] if someone’s telling you that, please, please, contact me and I’ll make sure that you have food.”

News channels began to show interest in what she was doing, so Journey went on several programs and ended up with so many donations her entire living room was filled.

Molloy has been one of the biggest supporters of the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs program, Journey said. When Journey decided to launch a full-blown pet food pantry herself, Molloy offered to help get it set up.  Some donors who had given to Molloy’s efforts had already begun donating to Journey, and people recognized the name. So when Molloy gave her permission to use the No Bowl Empty name, “people loved it,” Journey said.

Molloy also donated a 12x16 shed that her father, a marine, had built more than 30 years ago to house the pantry.  It was hauled to Steep Falls, where Journey is located, and they’re renovating it to suit their needs.  “We’re slowly getting gall of the stuff out of the house and into the ‘Chow Hall’ so that we can sit on our couch again,” Journey said. The goal, Journey said, is to have regular days where people can come and get what they need, though that hasn’t happened yet.

Donations can be made to the project by contacting Journey through Facebook or the Maine Veterans Alliance website.  Monetary donations are best right now to help finish setting up the building and allow her to purchase the pet food brands people are already using to avoid causing stomach issues in the animals. The best way to reach Journey is through Facebook messenger to her personal Facebook page (Journey Ramsey), the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs page, or the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance page. Because the project is through the MHVA it has nonprofit status, and tax receipts for donations are available. <