Thompson Free Library bringing back Read and Feed Program for third year
By Jon Knepp, Thompson Free Library director
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Thompson Free Library is happy to announce the return of our Read and Feed Program on July 1. The Read and Feed Program is a combination bookmobile/mobile food distribution, which was made possible through funding from Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Community Driven Strategies to End Hunger Initiative.
TFL is also partnering with Rowell’s Garage, who has rented a van to us, and Piscataquis Regional Food Center, who will provide us with produce to distribute for the program. We also have worked with local farmers like Helios Horsepower Farm in Guilford and Leaves and Blooms Greenhouse in Dover-Foxcroft, as well as other local farms like Ripley Farm (Dover-Foxcroft) and Marr Pond Farm (Sangerville) through the Mainers Feeding Mainers program.
Michelle Fagan, our youth services librarian, will once again travel around the area distributing free books and produce at designated stops once a week on Wednesdays from July 1 until Sept. 16. At each stop, visitors can select produce sourced from many of PRFC’s partner organizations, including local farms. They will also be able to choose from books for all ages with the understanding that if you love a book, keep it, if not, bring it back so others can enjoy it.
The Read and Feed Program will alternate between two routes, beginning with the “western route” on July 1, starting in Monson (Lake Hebron Heights Apts.) from 9 to 10:10 a.m., Guilford (athletic field) from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and finishing the day in Dover-Foxcroft: Morton Avenue parking lot from 12 to 1 p.m., Country Meadows Apts. on Pine Street from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and North View Apts. on Summer Street from 3 to 4 p.m.
July 8 starts the “eastern route,” visiting Brownville Junction (American Legion building) from 9 to 10 a.m., Brownville (Quarry Pine Apts.) from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Milo (Elaine’s parking lot) from 12 to 1 p.m., Sebec (Sebec Corner Grange Shop) from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and finishing up in Dover-Foxcroft at Riverview Apts. from 3 to 4 p.m.
The CDS Strategies to End Hunger Initiative has three main goals for the charitable food network: reaching people where they are, reducing stigma around using the resources in your community and addressing transportation barriers. All of these are major issues in our area, and the Read and Feed Program addresses all of them by bringing fresh produce into new communities and areas. It also allows us to fulfill one of our major dreams: to bring a bookmobile to the county!
We hope to see you out on the road this year! Thanks again to all our partners, funders and patrons who have made this project possible. For more information and schedules, head to www.thompsonfreelibrary.com/readandfeed, call us at 207-564-3350, or stop in at 186 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.
Thompson Free Library is the public library for the town of Dover-Foxcroft, the county seat of Piscataquis County. Founded in 1898 by Dr. E.A. Thompson, the library has been a central hub for the town, following its mission to strengthen and serve our community. inspire learning, advance and create knowledge and to promote the spirit of human experiences and personal relationships. Recently, thanks to a generous donation from the estate of Paula Willoughby, the library has created a fund to allow residents of Piscataquis and Penobscot counties who could not afford a non-resident card previously to receive their own library card. The library provides books, DVDs, audiobooks, electronic resources, internet connectivity, wireless hotspots, meeting and coworking spaces, children’s and adult programming and much more to its community.
As the largest hunger-relief organization in Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank supports Mainers facing hunger by sourcing nutritious, culturally relevant food and distributing it to more than 600 partner organizations across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, health care centers and senior programs. The food bank also supports the network of partners with capacity-building and innovation grants that improve and promote equitable and dignified access to nutritious food across the state. The food bank leads a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education and strategic partnerships.