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BRIDGTON — Food City of Bridgton partnered with the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club to deliver 80 bags of healthy food for the Southwest Oxford County Nutrition program, formerly the Brownfield Food Pantry.
Previously Food City had been instrumental in the Rotary Club delivery 800 bottles of laundry detergent, enough for each of the food panty’s clients in the immediate district, including Bridgton, St. Joseph’s, Naples, Sweden and Harrison food pantries. Food City ordered more than their normal delivery spaced out over a month so that there would product to deliver in time for pantry days, said Rotarian Carol Madsen, who oversees the Rotary Club’s work with food pantries.
“We have a grant from the Rotary District that we’re part of, made up of clubs in southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire,” she said. “Which provides support for distribution of health and wellness packets to local food pantries. The Brownfield pantry, which is part of our district because of its service area, doesn’t accept non-food items. But we were committed to helping them in some way. That’s why we went back to Food City.”
Food City manager Jen Morin was able to identify, price at cost or below, from a series of possibilities the club iidentified. Because the food pantry in Brownfield is only open one day a month, timing was critical and the club wanted to deliver this year. In the end, the Healthy Food bag included a whole winter squash, a bag of apples, a rustic bread, butter, chocolate chip cookie mix and cranberry sauce. Those items, packed in a reusable shopping bag from Key Bank-Bridgton, a holiday greeting and support on washing hands, wearing masks and watching distances, which Rotary has been sharing with other pantries.
Pantry day was to be Thursday, Dec. 17, but weather pushed it to Friday, Dec. 18. Food City’s crew had the bags packed and were ready to help Rotarian Mike Daley load his pickup truck at 8 a.m. Friday. Staff not only assisted, but configured the setup so that the 80 bags were safely packed into a truck that more optimally would hold 40 bags.
The Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club thanked Food City for coming through even when order changes were made and then pickup day changed as well.
Rotarian President Julie Forbes took the opportunity to thank so many who have been supporting the club’s work with the food pantries, hosting of Community Kettles and distribution of winter clothes and sleds to area children through Songo Locks and Stevens Brook Elementary Schools and Bridge Crossing in Bridgton.
“We are so honored to be able to help and frankly couldn’t do it without the support of the community at large, Friends of Rotary, Rotary District 7780 and our fellow Rotarians who have helped with the generous donation of time and money,” club organizers said. “A huge thank you, thank you. And a happy holiday season.
