Adds ton of food to local pantries
Contributed photoPRESQUE ISLE — A region-wide effort in May by The County’s four hospitals to replenish area food pantries has resulted in just over 3,000 pounds of food to help “Feed The County.”
Donations of non-perishable food items and cash contributions, collected through the Hospitals Against Hunger food drive, were recently presented to officials with Catholic Charities Maine in Caribou.
“The efforts of the County’s four hospitals and numerous partner businesses and organizations across Aroostook that served as collection sites for Hospitals Against Hunger ended with an impressive 2,556 pounds delivered to our site in Caribou,” said Dixie Shaw, program director of hunger and relief services for Catholic Charities Maine, the only food bank north of Brewer.
“With the additional cash contributions collected through the drive, we were able to purchase 3,080 pounds of food, above and beyond this, for the 24 food pantries throughout The County we distribute to each month,” she continued. “We are so pleased Aroostook’s four hospitals came together again this year, not only draw attention to this cause, but to rally The County community to ‘together make a difference’.”
Laura Turner, who served as co-chairperson of the Hospitals Against Hunger steering committee with her colleague Amy Carlisle, initiated the food drive at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle four years ago. Both were very pleased to see how it has grown over the years.
“Once again, we are so pleased with the collaboration of the four hospitals to help alleviate food insecurity,” said Turner. “This cooperation is key to the success of this effort. Back in 2012 when Amy Carlisle and I launched this food drive we could not have imagined the growth that we see in 2016. Our thanks go out to our hospital partners, business partners, and especially to our community for their generosity.”
The food drive was coordinated by TAMC, Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Houlton Regional Hospital. It ran from May 9-19, with numerous drop-off locations throughout The County where non-perishable food items and cash donations were accepted.
In central Aroostook, all TAMC, Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services locations, Aroostook Savings and Loan branches and other area businesses took part in the effort. Many locations, in addition to all Northern Maine Medical Center facilities, were community drop-off spots in the St. John Valley. In southern Aroostook, Houlton Regional Hospital was the main collection site.
Representatives of the four medical centers are not resting on the success of the recent drive, but are already discussing plans to again launch Hospitals Against Hunger in May 2017.
The Hospitals Against Hunger food drive is a partnership with the ongoing region-wide Feed The County effort. That initiative is undertaken collaboratively by Catholic Charities Maine, Aroostook Savings and Loan and WAGM-TV.
