The Food Bank’s partner food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters are on the front lines of fighting hunger across Maine. This guest blog post comes to us from Keith Whitmore, pantry director at Crossroads Ministries in Old Town.
Crossroads Ministries of Old Town was founded 20 years ago by a woman who saw a need to feed people. She started by feeding one family and buying the food herself. Twenty years later, we currently feed 680 families with an average of 5 people per household. Private donations make up about 15 % of the food we distribute, while the rest is acquired at Good Shepherd Food Bank in Brewer.
When Crossroads first began, no one could have imagined the constant battle we still face today. Like all other food pantries, we work nonstop each and every month to make sure no family goes without.
Due to the economic changes within our state, families are being forced to move back together just to keep the lights on. Some of the people facing this situation were just last year some of our largest benefactors. Many people, because they work, are found to be over the income limit for food stamps, so they come to us out of a mixture of need and frustration. These are proud people who would otherwise never have dreamed this could happen to them, but alas here they are.
We are fortunate to live in a community that is strongly tied together. When made aware of a problem, they come together in force to fill the food pantry shelves. Homemakers will call us to see what we need so they can pick up extra items while doing their weekly shopping. There are large corporations that faithfully deliver a check to us each month. Without the generosity of these donors we would have to close our doors like so many other pantries have done. That would be a tragedy for this community – one by the grace of God I hope we never have to face.
To learn more about Crossroads Ministries, visit www.crossroadsministries-online.org.