At St. John's
Keep in your prayers this week: Geoff Schuller, Bill Krueger, Doris McCorison, Gail Leland, Jeremy Harkins, Michael Shook, Joyce and Jim Risser, Loretta Schmidt, Susannah Jones, Theresa Mitchell, David Douglass, George Haborak, Fred & Dollis Sprague, Sara Winchenbach, Dorothea Mead, Ray and Susan McDonald, Richard Ramsdell, Cassandra Crabtree, Beth Pfeiffer, Dorothy & Jim Clunan, Bill and Barbara Loveland.
We give thanks for the lives of Susannah Jones, Mark Campbell, and Chris Buzzell who have died this past week. Keep their family and friends in your prayers.
Remember to check out our website for MUSIC: www.saintsmdi.org Thanks to Stephen Sampson, Jayne Ashworth and Michael Shook, you may enjoy some piano music on the St. Andrew & St. John website. On the menu on the left-hand side of the home page there is now a link titled 'Music,' and clicking on that link brings you to recordings of piano pieces by Stephen Sampson.
Westside Food Pantry Dear friends,
In one month we will open the Pantry for its 30th distribution season! That's very close in and there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done. I am reaching out to all of you who have been faithful to ensure this important work is accomplished. I am very hopeful that I can call on you to help get us ready to respond to whatever these "interesting times" present to our work. Given what happened last season, who knows what challenges we will be presented with!
Here is some news since I last reported.
First, not much has changed on the pandemic front. The need to operate safely--protecting our neighbors and volunteers--from direct, face-to-face contact remains a priority. Last spring and summer's outdoor window pickup will need to be modified to accommodate late fall and winter weather. Since Harbor House remains closed to outside groups, we will keep our operations at St. John Church. With church leadership, and input from people familiar with the building, we have developed a couple of options for accomplishing our distribution and registration functions inside the church building. Our goal is to minimize face-to-face exposure, move neighbors through the process as quickly as possible. New plexiglass shields at pickup and registration stations will be used to separate neighbors and volunteers from direct exposure to one another. It will be possible to move a limited number of people inside the building to protect from the elements and at the same time maintain face covering and social distancing protocols. It looks like we can achieve this in a manner similar to what is achieved in the Post Office or bank lobby. I estimate that we can operate with four or five volunteers at our busy first Sunday distribution--safely and efficiently.
Second. What makes this safe and efficient distribution possible is pre-writing the vouchers. We will continue this practice. Here's where I need your good help in preparing these vouchers in advance as we did from April through July.
Third. With regard to the Thanksgiving Basket distribution. Given the need to safely assemble the Thanksgiving baskets, the Bar Harbor Congregational Church must launch registration for the baskets earlier this year, and reduce the amount of food that goes in each basket. Also, the use of the Southwest Harbor Fire Station for basket distribution on this side of the Island is questionable, not to mention developing new ways to transport and safely distribute the baskets.. This year we will provide a registration form to our neighbors on "this side" to fill out and return to Bar Harbor by November 6. All baskets must be picked up in Bar Harbor this year. To compensate those who would be excluded from meeting this new deadline we will be distributing a Thanksgiving Special Voucher this year for $25 to each registered Pantry household. This expense is being funded 100% by an anonymous donor. I believe our neighbors will be happy with this arrangement.
Fourth. Our all-important Annual Appeal Letter will be mailed on Monday, October 26. Barbara Campbell is once again hand-addressing the mailing envelopes to about 350 recipients. I will request your help to stuff and stamp the appeal mailing.
Here's where I need your help this season: - Help prewrite vouchers. I plan to accomplish this October 10 through 16 if all the materials can be assembled by then. Please "reply" to this email if you are willing to be a part of that task. I will deliver a package of materials to accomplish this task to your house.
- Help stuff Pantry appeal letters for mailing on the 26th of October. Please "reply" to this email if you will help stuff and stamp envelopes in your home. Again, the materials will be delivered to you.
- I will need volunteers to safely distribute the voucher packages and other materials on Sunday, November 1, and November 15. All persons entering the building will be required to properly wear a mask and shielding will be in place to minimize face-to-face exposure. I will send out a special email request later in October.
We on the westside have come a long way in living with this virus pandemic. As the Island returns to our usual way of living, visitors return home, and the safety measures put in place continue to be observed, I hope with you that our ability to operate the Pantry safely will be enhanced. One thing is for certain--uncertainty--and this goes especially for the food security needs of some of our neighbors. Winter is coming, government help is expiring, and summer employment opportunities are drying up. Today, I received a phone call from one of our neighbors who lost her job, was evicted with 48 hours notice, and has two children in school. Where is she to live? What is she to eat? St. John Church is standing in to provide emergency help such as this until we reopen--all with your help.
Thank you in advance and I look forward to serving our neighbors with you this season,
Dean
We invite you to visit the new page for the Westside Food Pantry! On this facebook page you will find periodic announcements and information about the Westside Food Pantry. Please visit the page and like it. You can find it at:
https://www.facebook.com/WestsideFoodPantry/ | 
