Hospital staff boosts food pantry supplies

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
JUST IN TIME — Dixie Shaw shows off that familiar smile at Houlton Regional Hospital while collecting cash donations and 675 food items for the Catholic Charities’ food bank. Shaw said the food bank has been very low on cereal and she really appreciated the hospital’s efforts to replenish those supplies in addition to the other food items. Behind Shaw, from left, are hospital staff: Elizabeth Dulin, Jackie White, Janice Peabody, Jana Fitzpatrick, Gisele Blake, Barbara Bossie and Trudy O’Bar.
By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Houlton Regional Hospital’s (HRH) staff donated 675 food items and $275 in cash to Catholic Charities Maine Home Supplies & Food Bank in Caribou just in time for Christmas. Dixie Shaw, program director, known for her enthusiasm and drive, was all smiles. “The support in our communities is phenomenal,” said Shaw, who added that the need this year surpasses her previous experience. “I’ve been working for Catholic Charities for 23 years and I’ve been operating the food bank for over 10 years. We have never had such challenges getting the food we need. The demand is up and the resources are down.”
    Trudy O’Bar, quality manager for HRH, said many years ago her department decided instead of having a Yankee Swap for themselves, they would do a project. Over the years, they have taken on various causes from the animal shelter to fuel assistance and even adopting a family.
    “This year we saw on the news that Dixie was really hurting for food. We took it to various departments. and this was house-wide,” said O’Bar. She added that the project started at the beginning of December and hit close to home. “We feel a responsibility to our community. We live here, too. And we see that some of our friends and family are having a hard time. I think our staff is very caring as a whole because we are health care employees and that’s why we chose to do this.”
    Shaw said due to unemployment, layoffs and cutbacks people who are going to the food bank “are working and struggling and not making enough. Imagine being underemployed or having lost a job and having to downsize to a job that no longer fits your budget. Imaging having young children and the car breaks down. Then, what? Everybody’s living check to check. There’s no room for those things that happen in life.”
    O’Bar said the hospital staff donations were well thought out. As boxes and bags were loaded into the food bank’s truck, there were practical items like tomato sauce, vegetables, baby food and diapers. “We tried very hard to make the donations healthy food, not just fast-food kinds of things like macaroni and cheese. We tried to make donations for a whole meal and a nutritious meal. If it’s that person’s only meal of the day, we want to make it a good one.”
    Shaw stated that she has been making a special push for donations of cereal. “We’re short on everything. But my hope is that if we can get the community to focus on cereal, I can focus my attention on the other two meals of the day – lunch and supper.”
    For more information on the food bank, contact Dixie Shaw at: 496-3243, ext 1 or dshaw@ccmaine.org.