(l-r, rear) Maine West members Mike Wilson (Northern Forest Center) and Brendan Schauffler (Oxford County Wellness Collaborative) present a check to Aaron and Amanda Ouellette of the Daddy O’s Acts of Kindness Foundation.
(l-r) Maine West coordinator Mike Wilson (Northern Forest Center) presents a check to Kelly Porter for the RSU56 school pantries at Dirigo High and Middle Schools. They are joined by (l-r, rear) RSU56 Superintendent Pam Doyen and Maine West partners Allie Burke (River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition) and Brendan Schauffler (Oxford County Wellness Collaborative).
(l-r) Maine West member Brendan Schauffler (Oxford County Wellness Collaborative) presents a check to Phil Merrill of the Woodstock Food Pantry. They are joined by (l-r, rear) Maine West coordinator Mike Wilson (Northern Forest Center) and Woodstock Town Manager Vern Maxfield.
OXFORD — Local community members recently rose to meet the Second Nature Adventure Challenge―to get active outdoors during school vacation week for some healthy fun and to generate $3,000 in cash donations to local food pantries.
One hundred seventy-seven people registered their visits to local trails (including winter hikes, walks, cross country ski trips, and fat bike rides) between February 12–21, well surpassing the Challenge goal of getting 100 people from the Oxford Hills, greater Bethel, and the River Valley areas to participate. Meeting that goal resulted in the Maine West delivering $1,000 checks each to three area food pantries:
• Bethel Area: Woodstock Food Pantry, Woodstock
• Oxford Hills: Daddy O’s Act of Kindness Foundation, Oxford
• River Valley: RSU 56 Food Pantries, Dixfield
Prior to the pandemic Maine had the highest rate of hunger in New England and COVID-19 has caused hunger to rise as much as 25%, according to estimates from the Good Shepherd Food Bank. Local food pantries have seen a huge increase in demand, making the support generated through community efforts like the Second Nature Adventure Challenge particularly meaningful. Woodstock Town Manager Vern Maxfield shared that, “The Woodstock Food Pantry are instrumental in supplying food to so many in need and this gift is a huge help as they continue this effort.” Kelly Porter is a teacher at Dirigo High School and coordinator for the RSU56 pantries. “I am very happy to share with you that we did have a lot of students and staff that got outside over February vacation” Porter said. She added, “This was an excellent way to encourage our students to get outside, and also help our food pantry serve those in need.”
Brendan Schauffler is the facilitator of the Oxford County Wellness Collaborative and program coordinator for the Challenge. “We’re deeply grateful to local community members for their support of the Challenge and local food pantries, and to Maine West partners Inland Woods + Trails, Mahoosuc Land Trust, and Western Foothills land trust for offering up great local trails and helping us spread the word about the Challenge,” Schauffler said.
The Second Nature Adventure Challenge is a project of Maine West (www.mainewest.org)―a partnership of local and regional organizations working to position rural communities in northern Oxford County as viable and attractive places to live, work, do business, and raise families. In the fall, Maine West donated $6,000 to food pantries after Second Nature Adventure Challenge participants logged 709 outdoor activities. The group plans to continue offering Challenges and using them as a means of encouraging people to connect to nature through healthy activity, as well as generating funds to meet important community needs.
Maine West works across the Oxford Hills, River Valley and Bethel-Mahoosuc areas to provide network-based, collaborative programming in three focal areas: Active Communities, Broadband Access and Adoption, and Educational Attainment and Aspirations.
To learn more about the Second Nature Adventure Challenge visit: https://secondnaturemaine.com/
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
