Caribou JMG donates 3,000 food items for hungry in Aroostook

Caribou High School JMG students, along with representatives from the Aroostook County Action Program, packed over 3,000 food items into boxes following a March 10 press event at the high school. ACAP staffers planned to distribute the goods to food pantries across The County. (Christopher Bouchard | Aroostook Republican)

CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou High School’s JMG (Jobs for Maine Graduates) class just donated 3,000 individual food items to the Aroostook County Action Program, topping last year’s total of roughly 2,100.

Dr. Valerie Waldemarson, JMG Specialist at Caribou High School, said that while donations normally stay in the Caribou area, this year the food will go to pantries all over Aroostook County.

High school senior Apollo Grondin presented the food, proudly displayed on a long table in the school lobby, to ACAP CEO Jason Parent during a March 10 press event.

“We felt it was one of our duties to help end hunger between Houlton and Fort Kent,” Grondin told Parent. “Hopefully by doing this, we encourage other towns and communities to do the same.”

Parent graciously accepted the donation and expressed gratitude to “all the students and staff at Caribou High School.”

“This will go countywide,” he said. “This effort will benefit so many people throughout Aroostook County, such as some who prefer to remain anonymous or who have difficulties reaching traditional pantries while they’re open. This is really incredible. Thank you all for doing this.”

According to Waldemarson, Grondiin and CHS freshman Alaina Cotts took the lead in collecting food for the effort.

Cotts said she and fellow classmates collected food from fellow students who brought items to their classes, and that they continued stocking up until they surpassed their goal by nearly 1,000 items.

“We did this to support the community and give food to people who can’t really afford it,” she said. “It’s very important because food is a bare necessity for people to survive.”

Grondin, the career associate president of JMG, said he was “second in command” behind Waldemarson in spearheading the project.

The CHS senior added that he’s no stranger to taking on a leadership role, and that he is captain of several sports teams and works at the Caribou Recreation Center as a supervisor.

“I’m normally in this type of role, so it’s nothing out of the norm,” he said. “I’ve always loved helping people, and being able to hand them something and see a smile on their face.”

Grondin said the biggest challenge was beating last year’s total of 2,100 food items, and while he initially didn’t know how to go about this, he soon contacted a variety of local stores, such as the Dollar Tree, to “see if they could donate some items and help us with this project.”

As soon as Grondin finished presenting the food to Parent, students and staff began packing the items into boxes to be driven to ACAP headquarters and subsequently distributed to food cupboards and pantries throughout the region.

“Obviously we need more help and more food,” Grondin said. “We’re not going to end the war on hunger, but we know people won’t be going hungry tonight. I know, as soon as whoever needs the food gets it, there will be a smile on their face, and that’s a great feeling.”