JEFFERSON — For more than two decades, volunteers operated the Jefferson Area Food Bank in the basement of the First Baptist Church parsonage of Jefferson.

At the end of June, Ellis and Donna Bond, who had run the food pantry for several years, stepped down for health reasons, leaving Jefferson and neighboring communities without a food distribution service for those in need.

“A group of concerned citizens got together and decided there still needed to be some form of food provider in the community,” said Aaron Greene-Morse, chairman of the board of the new Jefferson Community Food Pantry.

The pantry, located at St. Giles’ Episcopal Church on Gardiner Road, has been providing food for Jefferson, Somerville and other towns since August with the help of the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine Food Mobile. In October, the pantry had its first distribution inside St. Giles’. Starting in January, the service will be available on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

Jen MacDonald, Southern Maine agency service representative for Good Shepherd, said the pantry provides nutritious food, including fresh meat, fruit, vegetables, bread and canned goods with no limit to the amount a person takes and no income verification.

Last Wednesday in frigid, wet conditions, more than 30 individuals visited the Food Mobile to pack boxes of food for their families, including people from Jefferson, Somerville, Nobleboro, Waldoboro and Alna. One man was overheard telling volunteers how appreciative he was and that “this was the most food I’ve had in months.”

Greene-Morse, a retired 20-year Army veteran, said the need was eye-popping.

“Mainers are tough, and we always want to provide for our families,” Greene-Morse said. “But there are times when we’re in need. It’s an opportunity for people to give to their community, and we encourage everyone to volunteer because it’s an opportunity for community members to help each other.”

One of the volunteers, Newcastle’s Judy Hunt, said she is part of a group from the Whitefield Lions Club that has been helping for years.

“(Some people) are less fortunate than I am, and it’s worth freezing your toes and fingers for several hours a couple times a month to see that people are getting the nutrition and food for their families,” she said.

One of the concerns MacDonald and Greene-Morse have is making sure people are aware of the pantry’s existence. MacDonald said the food pantry board has done a good job going out into the community and letting people know there is still a pantry serving the people of Jefferson.

Greene-Morse agreed that getting the word out in Jefferson and Somerville especially was important, but she added there are other steps the food pantry board is taking, including distributing fliers at local schools and putting information in school newspapers.

“And as often as we can, we talk about it to as many people as we can,” she said. “We are really getting the word out.”

Despite the efforts to alert the community, Hunt can’t help but think about those in need who are unable to make it to St. Giles’ for whatever reason.

“That’s what bothers me the most,” she said. “We shouldn’t have any food left.”

Jason Pafundi — 621-5663

jpafundi@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ

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