As president of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities Maine, Bishop James Ruggieri says he has heard a lot about the important work the agency is doing, but in July, during his first trip to Aroostook County, the bishop got a chance to see some of that work firsthand. The bishop toured one of two warehouses through which the Catholic Charities Food Bank helps to feed tens of thousands of people throughout Aroostook County and beyond.

“I think that the bishop will see that the ministry of feeding those least among us is in very good hands with the work that we are doing here at Catholic Charities in northern Maine, guided by two very dedicated leaders, Dixie Shaw, who has been doing this work for decades, and Jon Blanchard, who takes over as director in August,” said Steve Letourneau, CEO of Catholic Charities Maine.

“Being on the board, you hear about different projects. You read different pieces of data, but then you meet people like Jon and people like Dixie, the people who really make it work, and that is Catholic Charities at its best. You have committed people who make the work possible and make the charity possible,” the bishop said. “I was already impressed, but it makes me more impressed.”

As the bishop learned, through its warehouses in Caribou and Monticello, the Catholic Charities Food Bank provides food to 29 pantries throughout Aroostook County, as well as northern Penobscot County and the tip of Washington County. For a small fee, representatives from local pantries can come to one of the warehouses each month to pick up pallets of dry and frozen goods, which they then distribute to people in their communities.

“It is a tremendous amount of work,” said Shaw. “We are serving some of the most rural areas of Maine. Aroostook County is larger than the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut put together.”

Having Catholic Charities act as a central distribution point eases the burden on local pantries. With Catholic Charities’ experience, expertise, and connections, it also ensures there is enough food on hand to meet the need, and that it is acquired at as low of a cost as possible.

Letourneau said the work being done goes to the heart of Catholic Charities’ mission.

“When I think about and talk about the work of the Catholic Charities Food Bank and Hunger & Relief Services in Aroostook County, I often refer to Matthew 25 from the Gospel, when Jesus says, ‘When I was hungry, you gave me food.’ It is the first thing mentioned in that passage,” said Letourneau. “It’s a good example of us doing our best to have a wide network of people all focused on one thing, and that is feeding people in need.”

After touring the Caribou warehouse, the bishop traveled to Presque Isle, where he blessed Catholic Charities’ new Threads of Hope thrift store and its Book Nook, both located at the Aroostook Centre Mall. Revenues from the two stores support Hunger & Relief Services.

“We pray for your blessing upon this place, this work, this ministry, and all the good people — the volunteers, the staff, all who make it possible,” the bishop prayed.

The bishop said the blessing is a reminder that God is present and that the stores are not ordinary stores but places where holiness happens.

Letourneau said he likes to have new locations blessed because he is always looking to bring the Holy Spirit into the work that Catholic Charities does.

“I am a firm believer in the grace of God coming through in the blessings and the sacraments we receive,” he said. “For me, it’s just a natural thing for us to do.”