On Saturday, December 26, 2020, Lucky the Duck and West Bay Rotarian Ray Fink presented checks in the amount of $2,003.30 each to representatives of Camden Area Christian Food Pantry, One Less Worry, and the Shields Mission Project.

The club raised over $6,000 over the last month by selling Lucky’s Christmas Vacation raffle tickets. The prize of seven nights at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort in Naples, Florida was donated by the resort, and Lucky also presented the prize to winner Leni Gronros on Saturday.

“Ray came up with this raffle idea and the board approved it right away,” said West Bay Rotarian Deborah Fink, in a Rotary news release. “We wanted to help these nonprofits because they are seeing such an increased need this winter due to the pandemic. And the need is just going to keep growing. It is also great to shine a light the good work of these nonprofits to encourage others to donate also.”

Here is a little information about each of the nonprofits:

The Camden Area Christian Food Pantry is a group of Christian churches working to provide food to anyone with need in the Camden area, serving Appleton, Camden, Hope, Islesboro, Lincolnville, Rockport, Searsmont, Union, and Washington. Camden Area Christian Food Pantry is an all-volunteer charity.

The Camden Area Christian Food Pantry, like so many other nonprofit, charitable organizations, has adjusted its operations to cope with the Covid-19 crisis.  Clients are no longer allowed to enter the building to receive food but are serviced curbside. Board President Ashley Hunt says “Covid-19 has taken our clients out of the pantry...but it has not and will not take the food away from our clients.”

One Less Worry (OLW) is a nonprofit organization that provides personal care necessities and grooming products while raising awareness of need and normalizing periods. In addition to toilet paper and personal care items, they provide pads and tampons to 23 locations including high schools, middle schools, food pantries, and community organizations. It is projected that they will provide over 60,000 pads and tampons and 13,000 rolls of toilet paper in Knox County this year.

OLW Executive Director, Sharon Hobson said: “When you are an organization striving to provide toilet paper to the rising number of folks in need and there is no toilet paper, you face the kind of challenge you never imagined. Covid-19 has given us many months of such challenges which affected most the items we provide. Because our amazing community dropped off one lone roll of toilet paper or one package of pads or handed us $5, we made it through this extended and heightened period of need. Our community’s support means we can say ‘yes’ to those with essential needs. OLW anticipates more shortages and increased cost of toilet paper, toothpaste, pads & tampons soon. We also anticipate increased need.”

The Shields Mission Project is a dedicated fund of the First Congregational Church of Camden used to benefit needy residents of Knox County and Lincolnville who do not qualify for assistance from various social services and governmental agencies. Its purpose is to provide direct financial aid to individuals and families in crisis for any number of reasons.

During this time of COVID, increasing numbers of families in our local communities find themselves in precarious financial situations, having lost their jobs and unable to afford housing, utilities, food, transportation, health care, etc. For some it is truly a desperate situation with nowhere to turn.

Since the beginning of the pandemic Shields has seen a 20% increase in requests for assistance. There is every expectation that the number of families struggling will continue to increase as the pandemic wears on during the upcoming winter months.

“Donations to the Shields Fund go directly to assist our friends and neighbors as together we work to get through this difficult time, reaching out to support each other in as many ways as possible,” said Rev. Ute Molitor, pastor of the Congregational Church

For more information about these organizations, including how to donate, click the links below:

westbayrotaryofmaine.org or westbayrotaryinfo@gmail.com
camdenareachristianfoodpantry.org
onelessworry.me
camdenucc.org/shields_mission