Fine tuning the Food Share
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse Food Share’s community service climbed a notch thanks to the “new” box truck and its finely tuned “groove.”
The box truck came from the Midwest Food Bank New England because Midwest was buying a larger truck. The truck, already complete with the emblems of the armed forces branches, was purchased by the coffeehouse thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Putnam Area Foundation. Coffeehouse President Fred Ruhlemann said they will have the “Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse” added to the truck.
Last week the truck was pressed into service. Instead of a caravan of trucks and trailers the first week of the month, the truck makes the trip, and, because it’s bigger than the caravan, the group might be able to pick up more food if more is available, according to longtime Food Share organizer Bruce Hay.
In addition to the foods picked up before the Feb. 5 Food Share, the Midwest and the Connecticut Food Share trucks came to the farmers pavilion early Feb. 5 with food. Hay never knows that they might be bringing but the Food Share’s “groove” kicks in, smooth as silk. Hay assesses what’s unloaded and then sets his volunteers to work, packing boxes and bags and spreading the drinks and snacks and food along the “hairpin” route around the pavilion for the drive-through Food Share.
Feb. 5 there were rolls and pastries, a 5-foot stack of boxes containing fresh parsley and cilantro. Also: Corn, lactose-free milk, chicken salad, tuna salad, pasta, oatmeal, curried chicken salad, chocolate muffins, chips, popcorn, pies, soda, lettuce, bread, vegetables and salad, strawberries, blackberries, cherries.
The Midwest truck often includes food donated by Trader Joes and Whole Foods.
Last month the Food Share distributed 35,000 pounds of food. Feb. 5 they distributed more than 30,000 pounds, Hay said. Any extra went to the Putnam Lodge of Elks for its Saturday food distribution (first Saturday of the month), Sister Jeanine in Thompson and Brooklyn Cares.
Hay said about 50 volunteers served the 235 cars came through this month. The next Coffeehouse Food Share will be Thursday, March 5. The line generally gets going about 9:30 a.m.
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caption, page 1:
Organizer Bruce Hay (red hat) and coffeehouse president Fred Ruhlemann, left, at the Food Share. More photos on page 4. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.
captions, page 4, clockwise from top left:
The new truck. From left: Bruce Hay, Fred Ruhlemann and Jim Eccleston.
Rolls
Boxes and cars and cold, cold, cold temperatures.
Counting cars