Brea Willette’s phone has been ringing off the hook, 24 hours a day, with families and individuals asking for Thanksgiving food.

“This year, it’s definitely people that usually don’t ask — people with decent jobs,” she said. “Everything’s so expensive right now so it’s hard, even for a double-working family.”

Willette and her husband Paul own R.L. Mercantile Trading Post at 134 Brann Road in Vassalboro where the family farm, Wicked Quail & Pork, is located. The store sells locally grown meat and pelts, fishing and hunting gear, milk and other goods. They also barter and trade.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Willettes collected food for Thanksgiving boxes. Brea remembers struggling to identify just 20 families who needed them.

This year is different. On Tuesday, in less than six hours, she had 15 requests. By Thursday, that number had doubled. She worries about being able to fill them.

“As a small business owner, I can definitely tell that the economy is kind of going downhill on us,” Brea Willette, 28, said. “It’s a bad year. You see it starting, so I’m not surprised at the amount of people that we’ve had, asking.”

Brea Willette is the type of resource we need these days because, not only does she actively reach out to donors and recipients, she also teaches classes about food security. With practical advice, a friendly demeanor and easy-to-understand tips, she uses the farm and store’s social media sites to help educate people about how to stock cupboards and freezers when they don’t have a lot of money. She also gives advice about raising and preserving one’s own food and insists the government can’t be counted on to help, as is evidenced during the government shutdown.

She is asking people to donate items such as turkeys, cans of green beans, cream of mushroom soup and cranberry sauce, as well as dinner rolls, gravy mix, butter, instant mashed potato and stuffing. A donation of $37 can provide enough food for a family Thanksgiving dinner, she said.

“People can drop everything off right here,” she said. “Even if we’re not here, they can leave it at the store. We are open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday we are open 8 to 8; long hours because we tag deer.”

Brea Willette works with the Vassalboro Food Pantry and asks town residents seek their Thanksgiving boxes there first. Those from other communities may call her at 207-649-7403 to request one. No one will be asked questions about income or other eligibility.

“We literally only need their name and their preference on what pie they want — apple or pumpkin,” she said.

People are asked to pick up their boxes Nov. 25 and 26.

“I have a few people who are nervous about it,” she said. “The people that accept these things have a sense of pride. I say, ‘Come first thing in the morning, or come late at night.'”

Her family has always focused on self-sufficiency, sharing and giving to others. In 1950, her great-great-grandparents, Robert and Lucille McPherson, bought the farm property that now is owned by her grandparents, Steve and Sharon McPherson. The family raised beef cattle for years and then pigs, and more recently, they started raising sheep. They hunt and try to grow most of their own food.

“Food security is the most important part of our lives and we want to extend that knowledge to others,” Brea Willette said.

She appreciates those who donate, including Vassalboro business owners Rob Lemire of Maine Adirondack Chairs, and Ryan Douglas, owner of Summit Electric, who always come through when needed, she said.

A sense of selflessness goes a long way. Willette said that, while growing up, she learned empathy from her grandmother, who was always taking care of everyone around her and making sure others, including military troops, had what they needed.

This time of year, and in these troubled times, may we all emulate the compassion shown by her family.

Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 37 years. Her columns appear here Sundays. She is the author of the book, “Comfort is an Old Barn,” a collection of her curated columns, published in 2023 by Islandport Press. She may be reached at [email protected]. For previous Reporting Aside columns, go to centralmaine.com.