Paul Coulombe, owner of Boothbay Harbor Country Club, issued a challenge to the club’s members to support Good Shepherd Food Bank and offered to match all donations up to $50,000. In less than two weeks, 100 donors came together to meet the challenge to support Lincoln County’s 4,000 food insecure residents.
“The outpouring of support from our members from all over the country to help the most vulnerable in Maine has been extraordinary,” said Paul Coulombe, owner of Boothbay Harbor Country Club. “To see our members come together during this great time of need is truly heartwarming. It’s a great feeling to be able to provide GSFB with $127,087 which will undoubtedly, have a tremendous positive impact on Maine families in need, including our neighbors on the Boothbay peninsula.”
Approximately 200,000 Mainers rely on Good Shepherd Food Bank’s network of over 450 partners every year. On average, the food bank and its partners provide more than 68,000 meals daily. For Mainers already facing food insecurity, COVID-19 means the very real danger of lost wages, additional difficulty accessing food, and increased reliance on the charitable food network. School closures and job losses are more stress to the equation.
“The generosity of the Boothbay Harbor Country Club’s employees and members, coupled with the generous matching support from Paul Coulombe, will go a long way in helping us serve our most vulnerable during these unprecedented times,” said Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank. “Our partner, the Boothbay Region Food Pantry, has transitioned to a no/low-contact model of drive-up distributions, which serve the community every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The local schools are also providing curbside lunches Monday through Friday.”
The majority of the Food Bank’s partner agencies have moved to distributing pre-packed shelf-stable food boxes, meant to help families stretch their food budget for one month. With food costs of $38 per box, these emergency food boxes represent the bulk of the food bank’s unanticipated expenses. Donations from the Boothbay Harbor Country Club will be used to support GSFB as it purchases food for these boxes and ensure that partner agencies will be able to distribute them at no cost to Mainers.
For more information or to donate to GSFB’s COVID-19 response fund, please visit feedingmaine.org.
