'We provide lion's share of what they eat'

By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

About one-quarter of the population in this town used the Bridgton Food Pantry at some point in time during the year.

“Last year, nearly 25 percent of the population of Bridgton were recipients in one way or another of the food pantry,” according to BFP Board member Peter Dubrule. “When you consider we have 5,400 people living in Bridgton; and almost 25 percent have used the food pantry. That is an interesting fact.”

During the pantry’s fiscal year, which goes from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, there were 564 families who registered to use the pantry. Three (3) is the average number of people in a family. Already — fours months into the fiscal year—  there have been 383 families who received food from the BFP since July 1. At this pace, the volunteers at the pantry are wondering how soon the 565th family will come in for food.

Board member DuBrule said the food pantry has become a necessity in town. It is open every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. People line up around the parking lot of the former-United Methodist Church building on Main Street to use the pantry’s grocery-style method of picking out food. People rely on the pantry, whether it’s once a week or once a month, Dubrule said.

The demographics of who uses the pantry is shifting to include more people, he said.

“We have people who are there every Tuesday. We provide the lion’s share of what they eat,” he said. “With the economy the way it is, what we have found is the pantry sees a lot of young families, people who are working who come to us because they need a new set of tires that month. The choice is: Do I feed my family? Or do I buy tires so I can keep going to work to feed my family? We refer to these people as the ‘walking wounded.’ These are the people who live from paycheck to paycheck. They are not all the time coming to the food pantry. The food pantry provides a financial bungee cord that allows them to deal with the variability of the financial demand on the family.”

“The situation we have here in Bridgton has become chronic. The national and state economy have put a whole new complexion of people who interface with the food pantries: The walking wounded. Ten (10) years ago, those people could afford to buy a set of tires and go to work. What started out in basement of the church has become a fixture in the town,” he said.

“People with well paying jobs like in the medical field need to use the pantry. When people think of people who line up at a food pantry, they think of people who are ‘down and out.’ They don’t think of people who are vital to our society and who just need help now and then,” he said.

Dubrule compared Bridgton’s pantry to those in neighboring towns.

“I have friends who volunteer at the Naples Food Pantry. The pantry is relatively small, and they do a great job. The other end is Sandy Swett. She runs that food factory up in Harrison. You pull up in your car and pop the trunk. They have three conveyers. They put a box of food in your car and off you go to the next conveyer. They put another box in your car and then you pull up to the next conveyer. It’s fast and efficient,” Dubrule said.

“The way the Bridgton Food pantry operates is like a grocery store. The people [who use the pantry] go around and choose what they want. We have a good selection of fresh and frozen as well as shelf-stable stuff. People go around and get want they want within reason. They can’t take $150 a worth of beef. The signs say how much meat a family can take,” he said.

Dubrule described the sense of community that is apparent as volunteers assist the citizens utilizing the pantry.

“You will have an 80-year-old person going up and down the aisles, doing the 80-year-old shuffle, and there is a high school student with them, helping them,” he said.

No matter how you look at it, the number of people using the pantries is going up. 

“As of last Friday, Oct. 24, we had 383 families signed up since July 1,” according to BFP Executive Director Penni Robbins.

“We are almost at the last year’s number. We have eight (8) months to go. We are trying to guess what this year’s total is going to be,” she said, comparing it to the 2022/23 yearly total of 564 families.  

Meanwhile, Robbins is putting on a smile and getting food to the people who need it.

“We don’t turn anyone away. If they are not from Bridgton, we give them food and let them know where there are other food pantries. It takes a lot to get through that doorway for the first time,” she said. “All we require is a smile. We are all in the same boat. That is why we are here helping.”

“We have a good rapport with all our clients. Some come early and have their social time and what have you. We are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. so some come in later in the day and they have their kindergartener or first-grader or second-grader with them. We ask the mom or dad if it is okay if they can have a juice box and a snack, and we go from there,” Robbins said.