Pantry service moves into Route 4 site
Care & Share Food Closet is located in the renovated meeting house basement.
By Donna M. Perry
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – Volunteers from Franklin and northern Androscoggin counties moved tons of food Wednesday headed to various food cupboards.

While people were busy passing 90,000 to 95,000 pounds of food outside to load into various trucks headed to nine different food pantries, volunteers inside were setting up the Care & Share Food Closet. It is now located in the newly renovated basement of the Fairbanks Community Meeting House on Route 4. The closet has three new rooms to store food and serve those in need.

The food closet, sponsored by the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry, will re-open from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at its new location. The closet has been closed as its headquarters moved this week from the Fairbanks Union Church. Starting in July, the closet will open from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday night’s eliminating that day’s noon service. But it will continue to open from noon to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, said coordinator Carolyn McLaughlin.

Hammering was going on inside another large room where the Western Maine Community Action program will store food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for pantries in the region. Individual cupboard’s will have a section with shelves that were being built Wednesday in the room.

Wednesday’s delivery of more than 90,000 pounds of food was small, said Dawn Girardin, WMCA coordinator of the operation. The agency annually brings into the region between $750,000 and $800,000 worth of food to serve needy families.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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