NORWAY – Volunteers at the Oxford Hills Food Pantry say food for needy families is dwindling in between annual food drives, likely because of a higher level of need this year.
“I’m finding we are running out or running low between food drives,” volunteer Connie Shorey of Paris said Friday. “And I think it’s because more people are in need. I don’t think it’s because we’re receiving less donations.
“Food drives keep us going,” she said.
The U.S. Post Office and the Boy Scouts each sponsor a major food drive every year for the food pantry, which is behind Christ Episcopal Church on Main Street in Norway.
The food pantry distributes free food to needy families from Hebron, Norway, Paris, Otisfield, Oxford and West Paris.
Families can get nonperishable items such as canned soups and vegetables, pasta, tuna and peanut butter, but perishable staples are available as well, including meat, eggs, bread, cheese, margarine, fruits and vegetables.
Beth Rice, the food pantry’s director, said she did not have numbers on how many families have been served this year as compared to last year, but she noted that November was a “big month” for distribution.
She said people who have come to the food pantry have told her they are struggling with high costs for heating their homes or have recently been laid off from a job.
The food pantry is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. Donations from the public are welcome.
In addition, Hannaford delivers groceries every Monday such as fruits, vegetables, cakes, and breads.
“Hannaford is a big supporter,” Rice said, adding that other local businesses and many churches also support the pantry.
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