We are happy to announce the launch of our Read and Feed Program on June 5. The Read and Feed Program will be a combination of bookmobile and mobile food distribution, which was made possible through funding from Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Community Driven Strategies (CDS) to End Hunger Initiative. TFL is also partnering with Rowell’s Garage, who will rent us a van, and Piscataquis Regional Food Center, who will provide us with produce to distribute for the program.
Michelle Fagan, our Youth Services Librarian, will travel around the area distributing free books and produce at designated stops once a week on Wednesdays from June 5 until September 25. At each stop, visitors can select produce sourced from many of PRFC’s partner organizations, including local farms. They will also be able to choose from books for all ages with the understanding that if you love a book, keep it, if not, bring it back so others can enjoy it. Visitors will also be able to connect to the internet thanks to our mobile hotspot, and meet and interact with some of their neighbors and learn more about what the library offers.
The Read and Feed Program will alternate between two routes, beginning with the Monson-Dover route on June 5th, visiting the Monson town office from 9:00-10:15 a.m., followed by visits in Dover-Foxcroft: corner of Morton and Autumn Avenues from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Country Meadows Apartments on Pine St. from 1:00-2:15 p.m., North View Apartments on Summer St. from 2:45-4:00 p.m., and Thayer Parkway on Park St. from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
On June 12, Michelle will visit our neighbors to the east, stopping at the Charleston Church on Main Rd. in Charleston from 9-10:30 a.m., Sebec Corner Grange Shop at the corner of Milo Road and Sebec Village Road in Sebec from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Elaine’s Bakery on Main St. in Milo from 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m., and the Sebec Reading Room on Moulton Hill Rd. in Sebec from 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
The CDS Strategies to End Hunger Initiative has three main goals for the charitable food network: reaching people where they are, reducing stigma around using the resources in your community, and addressing transportation barriers. All of these are major issues in our area, and the Read and Feed Program addresses all of them by bringing fresh produce into new communities and areas. It also allows us to fulfill one of our major dreams: to bring a bookmobile to the county!
We hope to see you out on the road this year! Thanks again to all our partners, funders, and patrons who have made this project possible. For more information and schedules, head to www.thompsonfreelibrary.com/readandfeed, call us at (207)564-3350, or stop in at 186 E. Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.