FORT KENT, Maine – St. John Valley Technology Center students are working to expand the town office’s food cupboard, a project that will save the town thousands of dollars while offering more food to those in need.
The original food cupboard was built in 2018 by the Fort Kent Girl Scouts, town manager Suzie Paradis said. Residents at any time could stop by this cupboard, located just outside the entrance of the town office, and either donate or take food if needed. The cupboard was intended as an additional option for residents beyond other programs offered in the community. People taking food do not need to sign up or qualify for any programs.
The cupboard became increasingly popular and excess food donated by residents now sits in the hallway connecting the town’s front office and council chambers.
Steven Daigle, Grand Knight at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Fort Kent, said he noticed the cupboard’s usage during a recent visit to the town office.
“In the 20-minute period I was here, three people showed up, coming to get food,” he said.
He said the Knights then offered to help the town manage and maintain the food donation program by collecting donations and helping to keep things organized. The council then purchased the materials necessary to construct an expansion, worth roughly $5,000, and then students at the St. John Valley Technology Center offered to build the expanded area.
Paradis said the town did not go out to bid for this project, but if they did, she said the total cost would likely have been between two to three times more than the $5,000 spent on materials.
The new expansion will store roughly three times as much food as the cupboard, and could be expanded in the future with the addition of more shelves. Daigle said it is insulated and protected from the elements.
“The cool thing about it is that it allows 24-hour access to the food,” he said, “so people can come in and out any time they please.”
Daigle said food insecurity is not uncommon in the region. Many families depend on the school system to provide meals, for example.
“When the school system closes during summer break or vacations, it creates a fairly heavy burden on some families where it’s difficult for them,” he said. “They rely on the schools or on public assistance to help keep the families fed. So what we’re doing is helping to supplement some of that.”
Carey Michaud, a construction trade instructor at the St. John Valley Technology Center, said his class was looking for local projects and reached out to the town when they heard about plans to expand the food cupboard.
This may be Michaud’s first year as an instructor, but he has three decades of carpentry experience. He said this project is a great way for students to learn the trade. The project will be complete by the end of April.
“It’s a good experience for the kids,” he said. “It has basic framing, putting in windows, putting in doors, and metal siding, which most people don’t know how to do.”
Michaud is working with five senior students on the project.
“I got lucky,” he said. “It’s my first year and all of my seniors have prior experience with construction.”
Senior student Shane Gendreau said the project showed him plenty of skills that can be used in a carpentry career.
“It’s a very good project,” he said. “We’re helping the community, and it looks much better than it did before.”
After high school, Gendreau plans to study carpentry at Northern Maine Community College and pursue a career in the field.
Other food programs in the community include the Greater Fort Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry and the Meals on Wheels program, which older residents can sign up for via the Agency on Aging. The Feed the County Program, run by Catholic Charities of Maine, is another program through which residents in the region can obtain food.
Daigle said anyone who wants to donate food or is in need of food can either call the Fort Kent Town Office at (207) 834-3090 or him at (207) 745-9127.
