Wendy and Bill Couch retired from their jobs in Minnesota and moved to Gorham to be closer to their family. Little did they know at the time that they would have a new job volunteering that would keep them busy seven days a week.
In December 2019 Wendy and Bill became the directors of the Gorham Food Pantry. They make sure the pantry is well stocked, keep a close eye on inventory in order to minimize waste and work with the board of directors, donors and volunteers all in service to those in town who benefit from the pantry.
Photo credit: Town of GorhamGorham Food Pantry Directors Bill and Wendy Couch
The pantry was begun over 25 years ago by a group of local churches. It has evolved into a non-profit run by a board of directors. Wendy and Bill are very appreciative of the local business, the town, and the many citizens who donate and volunteer.
The services of the pantry are available to any Gorham resident at no cost. There is no qualifying income. Their philosophy is to assist individual residents or families experiencing food insecurity.
The Gorham Food Pantry is open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. when pickups can be made. During the Pandemic pickups were changed to curbside rather than a shopping model and the change became permanent. They found it to be very efficient. Curbside boxes are pre-packed. They are labeled for one person all the way to a box for a family of seven.
On average twenty families per week pick up boxes and two pickups can be made each month. If an emergency situation arises it is handled on an as needed basis. Gluten free or vegan boxes are also made when requested. The Pantry has forty clients at the ADVEST housing community here in Gorham. Since residents there often have mobility or transportation issues, the Town of Gorham delivers to them. With rising food costs and the end of the SNAP program, food insecurity has increased. In our state 139,410 people are facing hunger and one in six children are food insecure.
There are many ways you can help the Gorham Food Pantry support your neighbors who are facing these issues. You can donate cash, donate food, attend special events that support the pantry, contribute to a food drive or volunteer. You can donate cash at the pantry’s website or mail them a check.
Food can be donated at the Food Pantry when it is open or placed in a donation bin on the pantry’s entry ramp that is checked daily. Other drop-off locations are Baxter Memorial Library and Casco Federal Credit Union. Four hundred pounds of donations were collected at Baxter Memorial Library last week. On the Gorham Food Pantry Friends Facebook page current needs are listed on Monday and Wednesday. The pantry supplements these donations with weekly shopping at the Good Shepard Food Bank, and local grocery and retail stores.
Some upcoming events to watch for will be Stamp Out Hunger, sponsored by the Post Office, and a food truck event in the parking lot of ACE Hardware. Wendy and Bill are thankful for living in such a thoughtful and supportive community. They appreciate the donations and the volunteers that make the pantry work. In turn, our town is fortunate to have such hard-working directors as we have in Wendy and Bill.
If you haven’t been involved before, you might go to the website or their Facebook page to read the history and see what is currently needed.