Volunteers at The Mill help with basic needs

Unidentified volunteers stand ready to help folks. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

by Roberta Barnes

The Olde Mill in Vassalboro (photo by Roberta Barnes)

We all need a little help at various times. For the past year, people have been receiving food as needed at The Mill, in Vassalboro. Food is the fuel needed to keep our bodies functioning and proper nutrition matters.

Nevertheless, there can be times when the cupboards in a household do not have enough food to provide that fuel. Whether a person is trying to learn something new to him or her, or doing a job in the right way, it is difficult if that person does not have enough food to provide the needed fuel for his or her body. Enjoying the simple things in life or having a restful night’s sleep do not always happen if a person has not eaten the food that his or her body needs.

Through the Winslow community cupboard and Good Shepard food bank, volunteers at The Mill, in Vassalboro, are helping put the needed food in those cupboards. Wednesdays from 4 – 7 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., (except on Holidays) donated breads, canned goods, vegetables, cheeses, fruits, and more are available to put in your grocery bag when needed.

By 9 a.m. Sunday morning volunteers were unloading boxes of donated food from the Winslow Community Cupboard truck and carrying them into The Mill. Other volunteers were busy taking donated food out of those boxes and arranging them on the appropriate tables.

It takes time to safely handle all the donated foods and organize them in the best way. Samantha, the primary organizer, and some other volunteers began setting things up at 7:30 that morning.

Volunteers not only organized things so that people passing by the tables in single file could pick up the food needed for their household but were watching over so that people could get needed food in the best way. While the donated foods are free, any monetary donation is welcome as each dollar allows this program to continue to help provide food to those needing it at certain junctions in time.

Needing food can happen at unexpected times. Signing in you simply include your first name, the town in which you live and the number of people in your household. As you move through the line your focus only needs to be on the nutritional needs for you and others in your household.

Roberta Barnes is a freelance contributor to The Town Line newspaper.

Tables of food available for those in need. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

(photo by Roberta Barnes)