TAMC and Cary Medical Center are joining forces with the region-wide Feed The County effort to replenish area food pantries in the month of May. The Hospitals Against Hunger Food Drive will kick off Saturday, May 10, and continue for two weeks, with more than a dozen drop-off locations and events planned in central Aroostook where non-perishable food item donations will be accepted.
“We serve food pantries throughout the county, and each month we distribute over 30,000 pounds of food to the pantries we work with. We had a long and expensive winter in Aroostook County. It was hard on so many of our people who struggle with food insecurity. It was hard for us, as well, and we are now challenged with low food reserves in our warehouses and the need continues to be great for so many,” said Dixie Shaw, program director of hunger and relief services for Catholic Charities Maine and one of the key partners, along with WAGM-TV and Aroostook Savings and Loan, for Feed The County. “We are so pleased that TAMC and Cary have come together, not only draw attention to this cause, but to rally The County community to ‘together make a difference.’”
Cary and TAMC officials have been working collaboratively to plan the food drive for several weeks. The joint project is set to kick off at the American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast in Fort Fairfield Saturday, May 10. TAMC and Cary are both supporters of that event, as well. The food drive will run through and beyond National Hospital Week.
“We see this as a great opportunity to come together to help meet an important and urgent community need,” said TAMC President and CEO Sylvia Getman. “One of the best things about living in The County is how we come together as one community to rally around a great cause. Certainly ensuring that families and our seniors have enough food to eat is a cause we all should rally around.”
“This has been a particularly hard winter for many families in the county,” said Kris Doody, RN, chief executive officer at Cary Medical Center. “Neighbor helping neighbor has always been a tradition here, so we’re pleased to be part of this important collaborative project to restock the shelves of our regional food bank, which, in turn will provide much needed supplies to area food pantries. We see these efforts as living out our vision of creating a healthier community.”
In addition to all TAMC, Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services locations, several area grocery stores and Aroostook Savings and Loan branches will accept donations to support the food drive. More information, including drop-off locations, can be found on the Aroostook Savings and Loan website www.yourhomebank.com.
“Two years ago my co-worker Amy Carlisle and I could see that even the most basic of needs in the community were not always being met and wondered how we could help,” said Laura Turner, co-chair of the Hospitals Against Hunger Food Drive. “This is when the annual food drive was born and we could have never imagined how it would grow. We have been overwhelmed by the support from our co-workers and the community for this effort. This year we are so pleased that Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services are partnering with TAMC to make this our most successful food drive ever.”
As part of National Hospital Week activities at both Cary and TAMC, and as an added incentive to encourage community members to donate non-perishable food items, both medical centers will offer a special treat for community members who donate boxes of cereal Thursday, May 15. On that day between noon-4 p.m., community individuals who come with a donation to either the main entrance of TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital on Academy Street in Presque Isle or the main entrance of Cary Medical Center on the Van Buren Road in Caribou, will get a free tasty treat as a thank you.
Volunteers at both hospitals will each build a “Great Wall of Cereal” with donations of cereal boxes donated on that date.
Food can also be dropped off Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. during the Aging Well, Living Well Senior Expo held at NMCC.
The final day of the food drive will be Friday, May 23, when items from all locations are collected and delivered to Catholic Charities in Caribou. All of the donated food will be weighed and the number of pounds of donated food announced through the media to the community.
Locations and events where non-perishable food items will be collected as part of the Feed The County Hospitals Against Hunger Food Drive are as follows:
Drop-Off Locations
Presque Isle: Aroostook Savings and Loan, County Dialysis Center, County Physical Therapy, Graves Shop ‘n Save, North Street Healthcare, Pines Presque Isle Family Health Center, Star City IGA and TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital
Mars Hill: Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill, Mars Hill IGA and TAMC’s Mars Hill Health Center
Fort Fairfield: Hillside IGA, Kimball Community Health Center and TAMC’s Fort Fairfield Health Center
Easton: Country Farms Market
Caribou: Aroostook Savings and Loan, Cary Medical Center, County Physical Therapy, Paradis Shop-n-Save, Pines Caribou Health Center and TAMC’s Caribou Health Center
Van Buren: Pines St. John Valley Health Center
Washburn: Country Farms Market and Pines Washburn Health Center.
