PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A food drive to honor a local man has brought in 2,000 pounds of goods that will help a Presque Isle pantry feed those in need this winter.
Cheryl Morris wanted to honor her son, Adam McDonald, who passed away on April 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, so she decided on a food drive and asked people to drop items off at her house.
Donations poured in, and Morris amassed literally a ton of food to take to Grace Interfaith Food Table, better known as GIFT.
Volunteers Leighton and Barbara Perkins (from left) stand with Cheryl Morris at the Grace Interfaith Food Table site in Presque Isle, as they sort through 2,000 pounds of food donations. Morris hosted a food drive to honor the memory of her son, Adam McDonald, and the resulting ton of food will help the GIFT pantry feed local people in need. (Courtesy of Charlene Buzza)
McDonald was well-known in the community for his love of helping others and fighting for a cure for Duchenne. Morris said she and Adam first learned about GIFT in 2019 as the pantry prepared for its annual fundraising garden tour.
“I reached out to see if Adam’s little flowerbed could be on the tour, as I was trying to find something that would interest him as his body was getting weaker from Duchenne,” Morris said. “At the end of the day Charlene Buzza, director of volunteers at GIFT, asked Adam to assist her by drawing the lucky ticket for a door prize, which he obliged with a big smile.”
She said Adam greatly enjoyed having people around that day to talk to and show them his flower bed. Since her son’s passing, McDonald has continued doing the events he enjoyed as a way to keep his legacy of helping others alive.
“I was weeding one day in Adam’s flowerbeds and memories of the garden tour popped into my head. With tears in my eyes I remembered how proud Adam was that day of others seeing his flowerbeds and mostly just having others around to say hi and talk with him,” she said.
She decided then to have a food drive for GIFT in her son’s memory, and asked people to drop off items at her home before Oct. 20. Among the donors were the local Kiwanis Club.
At the pantry, Buzza was more than grateful for the generosity of the donors, and for Morris’ work to collect the much-needed food.
“Bless everyone that helped make this happen to celebrate Adam’s 35th birthday in heaven,” Buzza said.
“This will help our food pantry get through this winter, and many of the items will be used in our Thanksgiving bags,” Buzza said. “It is people like Cheryl and the Kiwanis that help to make the world a better place for so many. They do this out of the kindness of their hearts and are rarely recognized or thanked for their kindness.”
Buzza said Morris has already asked to become one of GIFT’s helpers.
For more information about the food pantry, please call 764-8584 or contact GIFT-Grace Interfaith Food Table on Messenger.
