Refrigerators stocked with food available to the community were placed outside two Marshwood schools last week to help people who have not received their federal food assistance or otherwise need help securing food.
The Community Refrigerators were installed outside Marshwood High School in South Berwick and Marshwood Middle School in Eliot, according to Interim Superintendent Heidi Early-Hersey.
“Many of our families are struggling due to the government shutdown and changes in SNAP benefits,” Early-Hersey said. “Just today we had a single parent of three children call who was desperate for food assistance because the $600 in SNAP benefits she usually receives is not available.”
The fridges will offer both perishable and non-perishable food to anyone, any time, from any town, Early-Hersey said, noting the school welcomes donations of fresh produce, dairy, and non-perishables foods.
“Take what you need. If you have something to leave for your neighbors, please do,” she instructed. “We will operate just like the little free libraries, only with food instead of books.”
The Marshwood Middle School refrigerator, located by the side gymnasium door, was fully stocked when it opened Wednesday.
“People brought food and even sent us some orders through Amazon,” Early-Hersey said.
The High School refrigerator sits outside the cafeteria in the student drop-off area.
Food from the school cafeterias that previously would have been thrown away will be packaged each day and added to the refrigerators, according to Early-Hersey.
“Besides helping the community, this helps us to meet our district sustainability goals by reducing food waste,” she said.
The cafeteria managers use data from the last time they served an item to try to calculate how many servings of each item to prepare, but “invariably, there are always some leftovers,” Early-Hersey noted. This week, 24 cheeseburgers that were not served went into the Marshwood Middle School fridge.
The Community Refrigerator project is a collaboration among Marshwood schools, local volunteers, and community partners who believe in supporting one another, Early-Hersey said.
The commercial refrigerators were donated by one of the district’s vendors, and district staff enclosed them with wooden fencing and built adjacent shelves for non-perishables.
Student groups have volunteered to maintain the refrigerators, and art students have been invited to paint the non-perishable storage areas.
The Great Works School in South Berwick also has a small non-perishable food pantry in front of the school.
People who want to make a monetary donation or businesses that want to partner with the schools can contact the superintendent’s office at 207-439-2438.
Other Community Food Resources for people having trouble buying food include:
The South Berwick Community Pantry, 47 Ross St.
Open Thursdays 6-7:30 p.m. and Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m. For more information email southberwickfoodpantry@gmail.com or call Bridget Pote at the police station, 207-384-4324.
Donations can be brought during pantry hours or dropped off at Town Hall or the South Berwick Public Library during open hours. Monetary donations can be sent to SoBo Central, Attn: South Berwick Community Food Pantry, PO Box 512, South Berwick, 03908 with a note that the food pantry is the recipient of the donation, or online at https://givebutter.com/SBFoodPantry.
Footprints Food Pantry, 31 Old Post Road, Kittery
Open Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m., Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 9-10 a.m. If those times do not work for recipients, deliveries are available by calling 207-439-4673 or accessing the Footprints Pantry website, https://www.footprintsfoodpantry.org/ for more information.
Neighborhood Food Pantry, 912 Dow Highway, at the Eliot Baptist Church
Open Thursdays from 9:30 a.m.- 12 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Deliveries on Thursdays are available for families in need. No proof of residency, appointments or sign-up is required. People can call 207-748-1248 or go to the Neighbors Food Pantry website, https://eliotbaptistchurch.com/neighbors-food-pantry for more information. Donations are accepted during the hours the pantry is open, or can be left in a drop-off box near the church.
Meal Sites
House of Hope, 25 Sawmill Hill, Berwick, 5 -6 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. A small pantry is also available.
Table of Plenty, 37 School St., (Berwick Methodist Church,) 5-6 p.m. Wednesdays
Table of Plenty, 8 Whipple Road, (St. Raphael’s Church) Kittery, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Thursdays
