PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Six organizations recently received $31,983 total in funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to continue providing much needed food for Aroostook County’s most vulnerable populations.
Catholic Charities of Maine was awarded the largest sum of $15,000 to purchase non-perishable food items such as cereal, soup and other canned products for the 24 food pantries they operate throughout The County.
“Last year we served 1.2 million pounds of food to our pantries, which is 30 tractor trailer trucks’ worth of food, not counting the 1,755 food bags we give to senior citizens each month or our USDA Emergency Food program that we do quarterly,” Catholic Charities Director Dixie Shaw said. “These funds will help us continue to keep our warehouses stocked with large amounts of food each month.”
FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program, administered locally by the United Way of Aroostook, typically awards funds yearly, with the intention that organizations only use the monies for costs related to food and shelter services. Last year the federal funds were not available, which meant that many nonprofits such as Catholic Charities had to work even harder to maintain their mission.
“We received secondary funds of $6,000 last year from the EFSP program,” Shaw said. “When you don’t receive the major funds, that’s always a challenge. It costs us a lot every year to transport the food, pay for gas, maintain our two climate-controlled warehouses and pay for the plowing, heating and electrical expenses of our buildings.”
With full funds this year, which are officially given to organizations in December, Catholic Charities can move forward with greater confidence and serve people for whom poverty and food scarcity are everyday realities.
The Aroostook Agency on Aging has a similar mission with its Meals on Wheels program, aimed at homebound senior citizens aged 60 and over or people under 60 with disabilities who are unable to prepare full meals for themselves. This year the agency received $8,342 to use only for Meals on Wheels, which provides five prepared meals, a loaf of bread and a week’s worth of milk to eligible seniors from Allagash to Island Falls every week.
“We distribute 500 meals a day and last year we served over 4,000 people. Each meal costs $2,” said Dottie Sines, wellness and nutrition director for Aroostook Agency on Aging. “Any federal, state or local funds make up a great deal of our budget and help us continue the program.”
With a lack of FEMA funds last year, Sines noted that the nonprofit was lucky enough to receive a grant of $20,000, which also covered costs for their other programs.
A tight budget means that the agency relies on volunteers for Meals on Wheels, many of them also senior citizens, who do more than just deliver meals. They speak with residents to ensure that their heating system is working fine during the winter, assist with money management and notify the agency of any health-related issues.
“It’s not uncommon for a volunteer to call an ambulance during a Monday stop because a Meals on Wheels recipient had fallen on Sunday and couldn’t get up,” Sines said. “The people we have aren’t just delivery drivers. They really care about the seniors’ well being.”
The program also helps combat the issue of food scarcity in Aroostook County, which affects many senior citizens with low or fixed incomes and who might not have family members or companions close enough to provide assistance and comfort. For those reasons Sines believes it is important that multiple agencies are able to receive similar funds and collaborate.
“Some of the seniors we serve go to Catholic Charities’ food pantries, especially to get the fruits and vegetables that are often expensive for them to buy,” Sines said.
Homeless Services of Aroostook is another organization that received EFSP funds and is focused on helping individuals in poverty rebuild their lives. With $6,000 worth of funds, that organization plans to cover costs for food purchases, utilities expenses and building repairs for its homeless shelter.
Staff members at the Sister Mary O’Donnell Emergency Shelter serve three meals a day to residents, which typically costs between $5,000 and $10,000 per year. Currently the shelter residents include eight adults and six children, all of whom have turned to the shelter for comfort and safety as they search for more permanent homes. During the past seven years, the shelter has served over 1,000 individuals in Aroostook County.
Thirty to 40 percent of food served in the shelter comes from community donations, while other meals come courtesy of the Meal Train, a service in which individuals can sign up online to cook a meal for shelter residents on one day. But staff members still purchase most of the food at local stores.
“These funds make a great impact on how much food we’re able to purchase,” Joann Oliver-White, community outreach coordinator for Homeless Services of Aroostook, said.
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program also awarded $950 to the Hope and Justice Project in Presque Isle and $500 each to the Greater Fort Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry and the Grace Interfaith Food Table in Presque Isle.
