Community Responds to Hunger
"FOOD FOR THOUGHT & ACTION" UPDATE
summer!
 

The "Food for Thought & Action" convenors hope that you and yours are well and will continue to be in good health. The corona virus has upended many things, and there were some quick pivots and major adjustments to be made, like School Nutrition's home delivery of backpacks food boxes, Blue Point Church's drive through bean suppah, and curbside delivery at the pantries. There have been hardships, many losses, and it's not over yet; but these past few months have also shown us to be a resilient community, with many caring, kind, and creative people determined to get through this together. Below are a few highlights, updates, and links to resources.
FOOD & ESSENTIALS DRIVE THROUGH COLLECTION THIS WEEK
fooddrive Help us spread the word:  **Food & Essentials Drive for the Scarborough Food Pantry** on Wednesday, July 15th from 4-6 p.m.! We're collecting non-perishable nutritious food and household essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, dish washing soap, household disinfectants, and hand sanitizer! Grocery, Walgreens, and ACE gift cards are great, too. This is a curbside drop-off; please stay in your vehicle so volunteers can assist you. The pantry is at the 1st Congregational Church, 167 Black Point Road (near Fogg Rd.). >>More.
BACKPACKS WEEKLY DELIVERIES, SCHOOL LUNCHES
Kudos to the dedicated school nutrition staff, bus drivers, and community volunteers for making sure kids still get healthy meals while schools are closed. Because hunger doesn't take a vacation, School Nutrition's Backpack Program will continue giving groceries and meals to families throughout the summer. Parents can still sign up by emailing food@scarboroughschools.org  or calling 730-4700. T hanks to an outpouring of community support, School Nutrition has received over $15,000 to feed kids through the "Backpacks" program! In addition, thanks to a lot of volunteer help, 50 donated food boxes are brought each week from Wayside Foods to Wentworth for the Backpacks program.
Project GRACE recently made a $2,900 donation to the School Board and School Nutrition to cover the lunch tab for kids whose parents wanted to pay their bills, but couldn't. (This covered lunches, milks, snacks, and second helpings up to when schools closed due to COVID-19 this spring.) Project GRACE is also providing personal hygiene items and assistance on a case-by-case basis to families, particularly those who have special dietary needs.
SENIOR FOOD BOXES, LUNCHES, & MEALS-TO-GO
Scarborough Community Services and Southern Maine Agency on Aging are teaming up to provide to-go meals for seniors. Drive-thru pick up is at the High School from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on July 21st, August 4th, and August 25th. To sign up, call 730-4173 and leave a message so they can call you back. 
Restaurants all around town figured out a way to safely feed their customers, keep personnel working, and give back to community, too (>>Check Out SEDCO's Business Update Scarborough for the latest news). For example, every week during  April and May and June, Project GRACE volunteers delivered 120 donated meals for seniors that were beautifully prepared by the chefs at Stonewall Kitchen's Cooking School. >>More.  Others who donated meals included Anthony's Italian Kitchen and El Rayo's.
Agencies like Southern Maine Agency on Aging expanded access to meals on wheels for area seniors and Comfort Keepers continued to make home visits that included grocery shopping and meal preparation. Countless friends and neighbors stepped in to provide grocery deliveries and homemade meals to seniors who couldn't get to the grocery stores or pantries. 
Every month 100 food boxes are brought from Wayside Foods to the pantry to be given to seniors. It takes a lot of helping hands, to shift those heavy boxes! The Explorers and VIPs, as well as the Loyal Order of Moose, Scarborough Public  Works, and the Rock Church have been especially helpful these past couple of months! 
FOOD PANTRIES ARE OPEN & FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS
Scarborough Food Pantry, South Portland Food Cupboard and other pantries have successfully made changes to how food is provided to patrons in accordance with CDC guidance. Both Scarborough and South Portland have been open throughout the pandemic and fortunately had plenty of food. Supply chains were disrupted at first, but have mostly stabilized, and both pantries are now accepting donations from the community, too. Curbside service is one of the ways both pantries are adapting for the well-being of their volunteers and their visitors. The South Portland Food Cupboard has also put up a tent to expand their outdoor service area.
Scarborough Food Pantry, South Portland Food Cupboard and other pantries have successfully made changes to how food is provided to patrons in accordance with CDC guidance. Both Scarborough and South Portland have been open throughout the pandemic and fortunately had plenty of food. Supply chains were disrupted at first, but have mostly stabilized, and both pantries are now accepting donations from the community, too. Curbside service is one of the ways both pantries are adapting for the well-being of their volunteers and their visitors. The South Portland Food Cupboard has also put up a tent to expand their outdoor service area.
RESOURCES & MORE INFO
FOOD FOR THOUGHT & ACTION CONVENORS
Scarborough Food Pantry
South Portland Food Cupboard
Scarborough School Nutrition
Project GRACE
Hunger doesn't take a vacation... please make a financial gift to help us make sure none of our neighbors have to choose between feeding their families and other essentials.