CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry, which has served local families for more than two decades and has been in numerous locations, has plans to move into an addition to be built on the Bread of Life Kitchen. Both organizations will serve citizens from one building.
The food pantry serves between 2,500 and 3,000 people in Woodland, Connor, Wade, Perham, Washburn and Caribou annually, and volunteers spend between 1,000 and 2,000 hours assisting in these efforts.
Bobbi Pelletier, treasurer for the Ecumenical Food Pantry Board, said the board’s current space on Herschel Street is its third location since being established in 1997. It is between 700 and 800 square feet and contains four large freezers to store perishable goods.
Pelletier has been the pantry’s treasurer since six months after its establishment.
“Our mission is to provide food to those that need emergency food assistance for a short term period,” she said, “and we’ve been doing that very faithfully for 22 years.”
She said the pantry’s current location is hopefully just temporary, as a merger with the Bread of Life Kitchen would greatly benefit the missions of both organizations, which are complementary.
The Bread of Life Kitchen, as opposed to the pantry, allows residents to come in and enjoy a hot meal whereas the Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry provides people experiencing a short-term emergency with a large amount of food to take home.
The Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry only serves families or residents who are in dire need of assistance. Tim Sturzl, Chairman of the Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry Board, said the organization has “strict guidelines” for providing food that need to be met.
Individuals or families in an emergency situation need to call and make an appointment, then fill out the appropriate paperwork before obtaining food, Sturzl said.
“If people are in a short-term crisis,” he said, “they can come and get food from us, and we will help them. But we don’t just open the doors and let anybody come in.”
The pantry is open 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and during this time people can make appointments, fill out the necessary paperwork, and obtain two boxes of food: one containing non-perishable goods and another with meat, frozen goods, pastries, fruits, vegetables, and other perishable goods.
Several local churches support the pantry financially and also take turns providing roughly five volunteers to work there each month.
Sturzl added that the pantry will accommodate people based on the needs of the individual, specializing the food provided based on whether serving a family with several children, an elderly individual, or someone with special needs.
Pelletier said the majority of their food comes through Catholic Charities from the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn. Additionally, some food is provided through USDA, Hannaford, and several local farmers.
The decision to merge is a result of discussions between both boards, which unanimously agreed it would be a mutually beneficial move.
“Both boards met,” Sturzl said. “We came together and we all agreed. It was a ‘yes,’ hands down. It’s a win-win, and it’s what we really need to do for the community.”
Sturzl said the Bread of Life Kitchen is a “great venue,” and creating a 1,000-square-foot space for the pantry at the kitchen’s 60 Collins St. location could significantly help both organizations.
“We’ll have to share some of the maintenance fees,” he said, “and we’ll have our own meter for electric and our own phone.”
With the Bread of Life Kitchen undergoing recent renovations such as handicap-accessible bathrooms and a new ceiling, Sturzl said a merger could absolutely help both organizations in terms of obtaining funding and serving more individuals.
“Anybody can walk into the Bread of Life Kitchen and be fed,” Sturzl said. “That’s not the case here, but I bet a lot of the clients that we serve could use both services.”
“It’s sad to say,” Pelletier said, “but I don’t think a lot of people take advantage of the kitchen. They could come in and get a nice, hot meal. They’re hoping their clients will increase as well, because of our presence there.”
Currently, Pelletier is researching grants to fund the construction of the addition. So far, she has submitted grant requests to the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation, Bangor Savings Bank, and Machias Savings Bank. She said the organization is looking at hosting fundraisers and spreading the word via local print and broadcast media.
S.W. Collins Company in Caribou has also pitched in by providing some preliminary schematics and engineering work.
“We already have some folks offering support, community-wise,” Sturzl said, “and we’re going to continue seeking that out.”
Since it is currently unclear how much labor or other aspects of the project will be contributed as donations, the board indicated that they did not want to disclose the total estimated project cost as that number could dramatically change in the coming months.
Sturzl said the board is looking at a one- to two-year timeline, adding that this estimate may change based on the results of fundraising efforts and grant requests.
Currently no plans are in place to change the names of both organizations or to merge into one organization, but the groups plan to meet a few times a year to discuss goals and progress.
“For now,” Pelletier said, “we’re separate. We do have two separate missions. They’re open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for hot meals and we’re open on Tuesday and Thursday for pickups. So figuring how to have one joint name that wouldn’t confuse people is going to be tricky.”
Any individuals interested in helping the Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry can mail donations to P.O. Box 1315 in Caribou. Checks can be made out to “The Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry,” or just “CEFP.”
