Some Of The Smallest Maine Towns Have The Biggest Hearts
Sometimes, you don't need to be the biggest city to do the most impactful things, and that's exactly what's happening right now in Harrison, Maine.
Because of the insane generosity of residents of Harrison and even people from beyond the town limits, according to Channel 8 WMTW, the Harrison Food Bank has been able to crank out enough product through donations to feed 500 families per week.
FIVE HUNDRED FAMILIES. WEEKLY. And that's possible because through the generosity just mentioned, the Food Bank is receiving 40,000 pounds of food per week. FORTY THOUSAND POUNDS. WEEKLY. Happening in little Harrison, Maine!
The real sad, sobering part to all of this is people who never thought they would ever need help from a food bank, and maybe often donated to one of the many food banks in areas across New England, are now some of the first ones in line. The pandemic has cost a lot of people jobs, and with an already competitive job market in place, the market for people needing a job as become oversaturated, making it even harder to secure one. (Case in point -- I was jobless for 9 months. Some people go MUCH longer being out of work -- I'm one of the lucky ones for sure.)
Here's the best part, too -- it really doesn't cost much for you to help, either. I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but I think it's pretty similar no matter where you are. While I was out in Tulsa, Oklahoma doing radio, I put on a "Stuff A Bus" event where I lived on a bus in a parking lot of a grocery store for an entire weekend to get as many food donations as possible. Some people donated canned or bagged non-perishable food items, and others donated money -- and that's how simple it can be. Because (at least according to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma), $1 can provide 4 meals. THAT'S IT! ONE DOLLAR. FOUR MEALS.
According to WMTW's report, the Harrison Food Bank went from serving just 16 families, to 300, and now has rocketed up to the 500 that they serve weekly. They're actually in need of more volunteers to help keep up with the need, too, as well as a temporary storage unit for shelter during the winter.