CARIBOU, Maine — A crowd of nearly 50 gathered last week as Bishop Robert P. Deeley led a prayer and blessed a Caribou field.
The June 2, 2016 ceremony was part of the Farm for ME program, which works with Catholic Charities Maine to distribute nourishment to the less fortunate. Farm for ME, established in 2013, participates by contributing fresh vegetables to the cause.
The field, owned by Ryan Guerrette of Guerrette Farms, was recently offered to the Farm for ME program, since the non-profit was initially having difficulties getting the project off the ground.
“The first couple years of the program we used a little farm in Presque Isle that hadn’t been farmed in years,” said Catholic Charities Maine Hunger and Relief Services Director Dixie Shaw. “It was so hard. It would have taken 10 years to get anywhere near what we are doing now.”
The volunteer group has recently experienced success, with a harvest nearly 34,000 pounds of beets, carrots, rutabagas, and squash last year. Including outside assistance from other area farmers, they were able to make a collective donation of 70,000 pounds of produce in 2015.
Farm for ME’s progress has inspired collaboration with other local organizations such as Northern Girl of Van Buren, and the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn.
Catholic Charities Maine also works with Farm for ME to distribute fresh produce through its Food Bank and to its 24 pantries in Aroostook County.
Father Deeley has been a Bishop in Maine for only a couple years, with much of his prior religious work spent in Boston.
“There wasn’t an opportunity to bless a field there,” said Deeley. “I’ve blessed gardens, but never anything like this. There is something wonderful about this; it brings you in touch with the earth, and reminds us of the fact that God has created us for a purpose, and that part of that purpose is to care for one another.”
With Pope Francis announcing 2016 as the Holy Year of Mercy, blessing a field to ensure a bountiful harvest for those who are food insecure seemed to be the right thing to do.
“This is the Year of Mercy,” said Bishop Deeley, “which is intended to remind us of our responsibility to care for one another. We were going to do this in April, but that would’ve been a little early for northern Maine. We were focusing on feeding the hungry in all our churches during April. This food service provides for 24 pantries in Aroostook County and when it goes over it goes to Good Shepherd, so this is a major mission of care.”
