The new porch on the Sweden Food Pantry provides Safety for Shoppers and Volunteers
SWEDEN — During this past month, the Sweden Food Pantry (SFP) had a surprise gift and two expected ones from big supporters.
First, the surprise. SFP had ordered half cows over the past two years, all ground meat, and the participant shoppers loved it. The board decided to forego that option this fall due to more frugality on its part and the availability of beef at a lower cost at Good Shephard Food Bank (GSFB). Well, an anonymous donor asked Smith’s Homestead of Stow to help four families with a donation of $400.
Errol Smith from the farm said “We can do better than that. We can donate that money to the Sweden Food Pantry by reducing our already great price for them with your $400.” Smith then donated an additional $100 and a deal was struck. The SFP shoppers will enjoy this generous, albeit indirect, donation for weeks to come.
Secondly, the SFP facility has been made safer for shopping participants and volunteers. The lower-level door, where participants drive up to pick up their groceries after shopping, has a newly constructed porch that protects everyone and groceries from falling snow and ice from the roof and even rain.
The six-foot wide and 15-foot long porch was designed and constructed by Crowell Construction of Harrison. Sweden Community Church, owner of the home of the Sweden Food Pantry, decided they wanted to pay for that porch for the food pantry, the only users of that particular entrance/exit directly between the pantry and the driveway.
Last but not least, with a resiliency grant facilitated by Good Shepard Food Bank, the pantry was able to acquire new school-style cafeteria tables that fold for convenience during volunteer and board meetings and cleaning of the pantry. They also add extra space for the disbursement of produce with larger aisles. Two tables, bright yellow winter gear, and hand warmers for volunteer transporters rounded out this outstanding grant.
The volunteers and board members of the Sweden Food Pantry are so grateful for its generous donors and their donations, large and small. Board President and Executive Director Linda Bradley remarked, ‘The Food Pantry crew wouldn’t be able to help the folks we do without this kind of support.
If anyone has not yet donated to the pantry this year, consider making a gift online at https://swedenfoodpantry.org/ or mailing your check to 137 Bridgton Road, Sweden, ME 04040.’
The Sweden Food Pantry is open on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 10-1. Serving the towns of Bridgton, Fryeburg, Harrison, Lovell, Stoneham, Stow, Sweden, and Waterford, no eligible family is turned away.
For more information about the pantry, check the website, https://swedenfoodpantry.org/ or Facebook Page. The phone number is (207) 647-5735.
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