Share to Spare program

The Island Institute’s new Share to Spare program was officially launched on January 23, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Rockland-area Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO) Food Pantry. Made possible by a grant from the Oak Foundation, this program will provide fresh, high-quality seafood (shrimp in the winter and groundfish in the summer and fall) to needy residents of Rockland.

 

Seafood harvested by the fishermen of the Port Clyde-based Midcoast Fishermen's Cooperative will be delivered each week to the food pantry and the Methodist Home for the Meals on Wheels program. Each "share" or "half-share" of seafood, similar to that purchased by participants in the area's community-supported fishery (CSF), will provide a valuable source of protein for a family or individual in need.

When the first shipment of shrimp arrived on Friday, recipients of the shares were excited, as were both the Meals on Wheels program and Area Interfaith Outreach sponsors. "What a wonderful contribution! This may be the only source of seafood that our customers have. Fresh seafood used to be something that was available to everyone along Maine's coast, and the old-timers especially miss having it regularly. The healthcare providers are always admonishing us to eat seafood, and here is a way that Rockland AIO customers can do so," said Jane Miller of the AIO food pantry.

"The shrimp look absolutely lovely! They are so very fresh. We look forward to using them and feel very fortunate to be part of this program," said Lois Stackpole-Alley of the Meals on Wheels Program.

Anyone who would like to donate part or all of the cost of a "share" is encouraged to contact Laura Kramar at the Island Institute, 207-356-9800 or lkramar@islandinstitute.org.

Also, Port Clyde Fresh Catch CSF subscribers who want to donate food items to the Rockland area AIO or Meals on Wheels programs can bring them when they pick up their shares each week. The MFC's delivery coordinator will drop these items off along with the week's Spare to Share delivery of fresh shrimp or fish.