BANGOR, Maine — As the doors to the gathering place swing open, a medley of laughter and conversation floods out. Amid the din, two elderly men sit across from one another, using sign language to communicate. A table of 10 from the local group home take turns sharing what they’re thankful for. Pots and pans clatter in the kitchen as the aroma of broccoli and cheese quiche fills the air.
It’s 4 p.m. on a Thursday, and a community is filling up the First United Methodist Church on Essex Street once again.
The church has been serving a community meal every Thursday since 2008. It began as an attempt at relief for the neighborhood after oil prices skyrocketed and runs entirely on donations and goodwill, operating through the weekly dedication of the church’s members.
The food is homemade, pulled from the cookbook-like mind of Kathie Merrill, one of the community meal’s co-coordinators since 2009. Merrill uses a combination of expertise and ingenuity to pull together a different contribution to the feast every week, using whatever she has on hand to fashion a creation worthy of recipe requests. Members of the church bring in whatever else is needed.
On an average Thursday, Dave Swett, a church member and volunteer, can be found keeping track of the popularity of different dishes so the weekly meals can be prepared based on patrons’ interest. Every week, volunteers at the community meal serve about 80 people from ages 2 to 98, but the number depends on the struggles plaguing the neighborhood.
According to the USDA, 15.1 percent of Maine households, or more than 200,000 people, are food insecure, which means they lack access to enough food to ensure adequate nutrition. The state ranks 17th in the nation and first in New England for food insecurity. About 18 percent of Maine people used food stamps in January 2014, while 36 percent of Maine’s food insecure population earns too much to qualify for SNAP and instead rely on charity food assistance, much like the weekly meal at the church.
“For a long time, when the economy was bad, we would easily serve over 100 people every week,” Swett said. On some occasions, the volunteers serve more than 200 people.
In the summer, volunteers use the church’s backyard to grow vegetables for the meals. Any leftovers from the garden and the meals are offered to those who attend the meals. If anything is left after everyone is gone, a visit to the Bangor Homeless Shelter provides others with home-cooked food.
Those who come through the church’s doors vary. Some walk from the homeless shelter. Others, including the residents at the local group home, ride over in vans. Many come for the food and conversation, while others have found a healthy routine and support system by attending every week.
A patron, who asked only to be identified as “Tim,” remembers the first time he needed a meal. It was two years ago. He had spent what was left of his money on his latest “fix.” He was hungry.
Tim is a graying man in his 50s. He has a focused gaze, a gentle demeanor and a soft smile. He also identifies as a recovering addict.
He’s in a 12-step program. Every Thursday, he sits at a table in the community room of the church with his friend, Elaine Clarey, an elderly woman he met during one of the weekly meals.
Clarey is small statured and uses the word “honey” as liberally with friends as she does with strangers. Her presence is comforting and constant. She sits in quiet companionship across from Tim as they share a meal together, gazing around the room that’s become so familiar to her over the years. Her steadfast companion is her 12-year-old granddaughter, Emily, who sits beside her picking at spinach and sucking down pudding cups.
Clarey is not a member of the church but comes for the food and company — and to save on washing dishes. She beams as her friends enter the room, a large group of people who change from week to week. She seems to know everyone and makes sure to introduce the newcomers to the seasoned veterans.
As the conversation putters on and laughter ensues, the pastor of the church, Arlene Tully, weaves through the tables with Kirby, a service dog. Tully brings the 3-year-old yellow lab to the meal almost every Thursday. Tully has no need for a service dog herself but has a history of owning pets that have been trained as service animals. She believes they offer comfort to those she visits.
The volunteers at the community meal continue to dish out helpings in the background, offering a smile and ensuring each plate is filled with a healthy dose of salad greens to compliment the casseroles and quiches.
Volunteer and church member Rachel Wilson just started helping out in July 2014.
“I wanted a church that would use me. This is the first church in years that has used me for something important,” Wilson said. Her contributions to the meal usually are baked goods. For this Thursday meal, she brought in brownies flavored with peppermint oil.
As the church starts to empty, the volunteers remain. Some have just arrived, coming straight from work to help with cleanup. Dishes are washed, tables wiped down and leftovers packaged.
Swett does the final tallies. They served more than 70 people.
“These aren’t people we have to deal with because we’re a church. These are people who have a need, while we have an ability to help,” Swett said.