Anonymous donor comes through for Partnership Food Pantry turkey drive

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — When Al Hunt checked his inventory at Partnership Food Pantry in Guilford a week before Thanksgiving, he was disappointed and worried. “We had 11 turkeys and almost 100 requests,” said the pantry director.

    While the number of requests hasn’t fluctuated very much in the past few years, Hunt said that this year’s need for Thanksgiving fixings seemed to be higher. “We’ve picked up a dozen or more clients from Monson since their food pantry closed, and we’re happy to serve them,” Hunt said. “But there was some concern this year.”
    But after the food pantry’s plight went out on social media and television — particularly WABI-TV in Bangor — the phones started ringing and the turkeys started arriving.
    The biggest boost, however, came from an anonymous donor. “I honestly can’t tell you who it was, but they went to Goulette’s IGA and bought 50 turkeys for us,” he said. “So we went from a panic mode to a surplus.”
    As a result, everybody who requested a turkey from Partnership Food Pantry got one and they even had a few left over.
    Hunt cautioned, however, that the need for support is constant, especially in the winter. “We can’t count on a generous donor helping us out like this all the time,” he said.
    The Partnership Food Pantry is now distributing food at its new location: the former Northwoods Variety Store on Routes 6/15. Operating hours are the second and fourth Fridays from 12-3 p.m.
    A branch center in Greenville is open on the first and third Monday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
    For more information about Partnership Food Pantry, including ways to donate, call 518-8833.