By Abigail W. Adams

The volunteers of the Whitefield food pantry will be the recipients of Whitefield's 2015 Spirit of America award for outstanding community service. Pictured in back (from left) are Bobby Barnes, Earl Lemieux, Keith Sanborne, Howard Nickerson, Mike Wheeler, and Brad Bowden. Pictured in center are Mary Lemieux, Anita Johnson, Gladys Glidden, Janet Ober, Emmy Jones, Leo Glidden, Phyllis Wheeler, and Hannah Burns. In front are Dolly Burns and Mary Grady. (Abigail Adams photo)

{C} {C} {C} The Whitefield food pantry, located at St. Denis' Hall, is open the first Friday of every month to freely give out fresh produce, breads, grains, canned goods, and other household staples.

In a state the Food Research and Action Center has listed as the third-worst in the nation for those living in hunger, the volunteers at the food pantry are working to ensure no Whitefield family goes without food.

Whitefield selectmen voted in June to honor their work by choosing the volunteers at the food pantry for the Spirit of America Award for outstanding community service.

"These are the unsung heroes in town," Selectman Lester Sheaffer said. Sheaffer is responsible for nominating the volunteers at the food pantry for the annual award, which will be formally presented in a county-wide ceremony in November.

Mary and Earl Lemieux coordinate the food pantry with approximately 16 volunteers that keep the pantry's shelves stocked and the doors open every month for families in need.

The Lemieuxs became involved in the food pantry shortly after their retirement. According to Mary Lemieux, the two were discussing one day what they could do in their retirement to help the town.

Someone suggested a food pantry. Two days later, Mary Lemieux got a call from a different individual asking about space for a food pantry. "God had his hands in this," Mary Lemieux said.

Whitefield has operated a food pantry for approximately 18 years. It was originally housed in the town office, but, cramped for space, the pantry relocated to the Whitefield Union Church, now the Sheepscot Valley Community Church.

Again cramped for space, the St. Denis Rectory offered the food pantry use of its hall across from the church, which is where the pantry has operated from since April 2014.

Through monetary donations, produce donations from local farms, such as County Fair Farms and Sheepscot General Store and Farm; U.S. Department of Agriculture quarterly donations, and participation in the Good Shepherd Food Bank program, the food pantry is able to provide generous allocations of food to families in need.

The pantry tries to give away enough food to last for the three weeks between food pantry openings, Mary Lemieux said.

In its early days, the pantry served 10 families. The number has since quadrupled with the pantry now serving approximately 40 families, Mary Lemieux said.

The stigma associated with needing an emergency food supply, especially in a small town, is strong, Mary Lemieux said, and prevents some people from coming in during regularly scheduled food pantry hours.

Howard Nickerson has served as a volunteer with the Whitefield food pantry for approximately six years, handling the pickup of donations.

According to Nickerson, he was inspired to become a volunteer by the number of people who helped him when he was injured and forced to go on disability.

"So many people helped me get back on my feet," Nickerson said. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them, so now I'm helping others."

Hannah Burns has volunteered with the food pantry since she was 5 years old. Now, at 16, Burns has put in a decade of service. "I really enjoy coming down here," Burns said. "We'll always take new volunteers. It's a great thing to do."

The food pantry is also in need of a new freezer and monetary donations to buy staple items not covered by the Good Shepherd Food Bank and the Department of Agriculture.

For more information about Whitefield's food pantry, contact Mary and Earl Lemieux at 582-2684.