"We couldn't do it without Good Shepherd Food-Bank!"
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Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care >
Seniors Plus
Our heartfelt thank you to the Good Shepherd Food-Bank for its support of our nutrition program. Working together to support the nutritional needs of seniors has added to our ability to meet an important need in the lives of many older people. Supplying the freezer was so timely and very much appreciated, thank you!
Pam Allen
Executive Director
Seniors Plus
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Nazarene Outreach Food Pantry - Wiscasset
On behalf of the many people who receive food from the Wiscasset Nazarene Outreach Food Pantry, I want to thank you and Good Shepherd Food Bank for making it possible. Recently, we had the privilege of helping a family where the Dad had a leg injury and had been out of work for some time. He and his wife have three (3) children. While I was delivering the food they thanked me so much for caring. We could not do this without your help. Much of our funds have been used up and a husband and wife in our congregation, knowing this, came forward and asked to take on the responsibility of a new idea. They would like to hold an indoor yard sale at the church. We are trying to raise the matching grant money to $500.oo. I am very pleased with the corporation of our church to really get behind this project.
At our New Years service a gentleman rose and gave a testimony that stunned me. I didn't realize he had been watching the activity of the food ministry and all that was being accomplished. This man has been a member of the church for 35+ years and knows the church history well. He told the congregation, most of whom are involved in the workings of the food pantry, that many years ago another pastor had begun a food pantry, but he left and a new pastor was installed. The new pastor closed the pantry. This man knows the importance of a food pantry and how vital its part is in reaching out to the community. Again, please accept our heartfelt gratitude and thanks.
May God bless you,
Pastor Wally Staples
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S.A.F.E. in Maine
S.A.F.E., (Statewide Association of Fostering Enterprises), has operated in the State of Maine since 1993 as a member-supported, volunteer-based, 501(c)3, non-profit organization. Our mission is to provide services and support to Foster families, Adoptive families, and Kinship families throughout the state of Maine, who are caring and providing for some of Maine’s most needy children. One of our best known programs is the food program where, in collaboration with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, we are able to offer income-eligible members the opportunity to purchase their food thru the food bank at a tremendous savings.
Due to recent budget cuts in state government, some of the families providing care to children in Maine are having to reconsider their financial situations and are faced with the agonizing dilemma of giving up their foster children so that they can return to work outside of their homes everyday. It is in this situation that SAFE has been most able to support and encourage these families with the incredible blessing of the food program. Currenly we are serving 120 families statewide who are providing care for approximately 450 Maine children. We always welcome new members, and we all give thanks for the blessings that we have received thru the generosity of those that support the Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Bless you all.....and thank you!
Very Sincerely,
Vickie Decker (January 2006)
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Camp Mechuwana
Summer camp will be starting very soon here at Camp Mechuwana, but we are open year round serving smaller groups of all ages. We have about 14 Mission Groups who will be sharing their talents with us this summer. They will be sent out into the communities, some will stay on campus and many will be sent to Good Shepherd to share their talents and learn more about the food bank. I have talked with many of these groups and they have shared with me that they had never been to a food bank before and were just so happy to have helped out, plus could not wait to do it again. Last year, we saw an increase of well over 50% in foster children attending our summer camp programs, plus, we dealt with about 10 new agencies to help children come to camp. One of those agencies is the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers. They helped to send over 20 children to camp who could not afford to.
We try to keep the cost of camp down for all children and we never turn a child away from camp due to their not being able to afford it. One of the reasons that we can keep the cost of our camping program down is that we have over 200 volunteers pass down the camp road every summer. The second reason is that we qualify to use Good Shepherd Food Bank. We probably see 65% impoverished children and adults or better in a years time and being able to serve them with food that we purchased from GS at such a reasonable price makes it possible to be able to give out scholarships to them. During the "Off Season" we have Jr. & Sr. High Rallies and they love the stuffed chicken that I get at GS. Once, I did not serve it and one of the girls came up to me and wanted to know where her stuffed chicken/broc. was? She was very upset with me that I did not serve it. So, I am very happy when you have it.
At present I have done almost 670 summer and day camp registrations and more registrations are coming in daily. Thirteen camps are full out of the 40 different summer camps offered and we still have openings in all 8 weeks of day camp.
Prayers for our camp and those people that serve us by volunteering to be councilors and deans of these camps.
Carol R. Dorr
Admin. Assistant, Registrar, & Cook (Off Season)
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Brownfield Food Pantry
Thanks from Brownfield Would you believe we just completed the largest distribution we ever had? It will be several day until we can punch everything into the computer, but a preliminary hand count indicates we served a record number of families, well over 141. Marian & I will be up as early next week as we can, to get more food, so that we can sustain any requests for emergency boxes; we are completely out of some essentials. We even received a shipment of USDA food toady, some 1800 pounds, and all told went through over 12,000 pounds at today’s distribution. Guess we have to start getting more each month! If necessary, can we get a larger GSFB truck on May 18th? Please thank all of the good people at Good Shepherd, for without all of their support we would fall flat on our faces, and 500 people in the western Maine Woods would be desperate indeed!
Thanks Jason for all you personally do for us!
Jack Mitchell
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Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care
We, at Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care, feel very fortunate to have been accepted as a member of the Good Shepherd Food Bank. You have all been great to work with, and we have realized a substantial savings in our food budget. We have already saved over $5,000.00 since we started shopping at the Food Bank. With all of our budget concerns, this has been a major help to us.
From all at AHSCC…a heartfelt Thank you!
Sincerely, Dorothy Crowley Noel, Program Manager.
I also speak for our Executive Director, Estelle Rubinstein.
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