HARRISTON — In the aftermath of last week’s epic winter rainstorm Founder and Operations Manager Sandy Swett recognizes that the food bank made it through with what some might call a Christmas miracle.

More than 600 families from western and southern Maine and New Hampshire have come to depend on HFB to keep food on their tables every Tuesday.

The power never went out at 176 Waterford Road, where HFB is located. Refrigerators and freezers stocked with perishable food and meat kept it safe for those who needed it most.

With no back-up generator at the food bank, no electricity would have meant that thousands would have had no food to get through one of the worst storms on record.

As food insecurity increases across Maine, the Harrison Food Bank has been able to keep pace with need. Swett, her board and volunteer crew have worked tirelessly  to create relationships and networks with Maine’s largest grocery retailers, chase down grants and solicit donations to grow its operations base, storage  capabilities and build a reliable transportation fleet.

After Monday, more than 350,000 homes and businesses were without power for two to four days.

One constant that people were able to count on through prolonged outages, flooded neighborhoods and washed out roads that stranded them at home was the availability of food from the food bank, if they could make it. For many who could not, their provisions were delivered to them.

Swett was out of town when the storm hit. Given the conditions Mainers faced, not opening Tuesday was one scenario HFB’s volunteer managers had to consider.

“They decided to go ahead with distribution,” Swett says. “Even with roads closed and people having to take long detours to get there, we still provided food to more than 600 families.

“And volunteers delivered to more than 250 homes. Organizations that needed help, like in Bridgton, we were able to transport Christmas gifts because they were coming up short.”
In addition to truckloads of food, HFB collects a pallet or more a week of home goods and toys from Walmart stores, which does not put returned items back on shelves to resell.

“We work with all groups,” Swett said. “We’re in it together and if another pantry has a need we try to help them.

This week’s catastrophic power outages have made clear that an organization as large and far reaching as HFB needs to be prepared for when the worst can happen.

It is something Swett already knew: she has been researching in vain for resources to help acquire a 100 kilowatt generator.

Having one installed would operate all the food bank’s refrigeration and equipment, its fire-suppression system and make it possible for it to operate as a warming center during major emergencies.

Grant applications to the Kendal C. & Anna Ham Charitable Foundation and to Maine Emergency Management Agency were turned down due to financial constraints and timing.

Obtaining a generator is proving a tough task, but Swett has had some recent successes getting other equipment upgraded.

The old mini-van that was nowhere near a solution for transporting food deliveries – especially after its air-conditioner conked out and doors that would randomly lock – is being replaced with a Ford F-350 with a 12-foot refrigerated cab. The truck purchase was made possible through a grant from Hannaford, a five-figure donation and dedicated fundraiser.

The International box truck that requires more and more repairs is also being upgraded with a refrigerated Freightliner.

But the more Harrison Food Bank accomplishes in the fight against food insecurity the more it needs.

“We have never seen anything like this,” Swett said of the climate that finds Mainers of all socio-economic groups calling for help. “People of middle-class, doctors’ offices, case managers, public schools…I get calls from more people every day.”

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