I should have known better than to go to Wal-Mart on a rainy Sunday afternoon, a week or so before school begins. I didn’t need to get much but whatever was on my short list couldn’t compete with the wrangling kids and parents and crying babies in shopping carts…carts which were soaking wet from being outside.
While I was in the checkout line, which was longer than usual, I heard a couple of women from Connecticut talking about how shocked they were to discover a couple of mice in their cabin on the lake, and plans to solve the problem. Perhaps I should have offered to rent one of my cats.
In the midst of summer complaints about mice and other wildlife, and kids tossing things into carts while moms ignored the action, I finally made it out of the store and a half-mile up the parking lot to my car. I’ll just wait until a good sunshiny day when everyone is at camp – or at school.
We’ve noticed some boxes at various stores around town where people can drop off contributions for the Windham Food Pantry. It’s difficult to think about those in need, during this bountiful summer, but the pantry (which is staffed by volunteers) serves hundreds of area residents and just because it is summer, the need doesn’t go away.
I’m frankly quite worried about this fall and winter, when many of these people will perhaps go without necessities in order to purchase fuel. Already, their gasoline bills have taken a chunk out of their limited budget. You only have to be at the pantry once when it’s open, to know that there are many, young and old, who depend on this help.
What a worthy project it would be for schools, organizations, and nonprofits to collect canned goods and other non-perishable food items to help their neighbors. I probably should have mentioned this to the visitors who were in line with me at the store – the ones who were upset about the mice. By the time they unloaded their carts (three of them) I was beginning to wonder what they would possibly do with all that food in the two weeks they were vacationing!
Drop your donations off on Monday, Wednesday or Friday at the pantry, which is located in the Family Resource Center, 377 Gray Road (Route 202) next to the Public Safety Building and across from Friends Church, or call 892-1931 or Marge Govoni at 892-7192 to make arrangements. Financial donations can be made to Town of Windham, Food Pantry and mailed to 8 School Road, Windham, Maine 04062.
Remember, you get out of life what you put into it. Help your neighbors.
See you next week.
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