“You can’t imagine a parish in Maine without a faith formation staff person, so why imagine a parish in Maine without a parish social ministry staff person?” says Father Dumais. “It really increased our capacity to serve those in need in a variety of ways.”

Those ways include an emergency assistance program, the St. Rose of Lima Thrift Store, food pantries and blessing boxes in both Farmington and Jay, and community meals served in both locations.

“We’re trying to live as Christ taught us to live,” says Dan Allen, parish social ministry coordinator.

At St. Joseph, takeout meals are served three Tuesdays a month, and the parish hosts a Heart Warming Center, which includes a sit-down meal, on the other Tuesday.

The meals got their start during the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Joseph had long opened the doors of its parish hall as a Warming Center in the winter, but during the early months of the pandemic, there was an awareness that more needed to be done to serve the community.

“While stores and everything were closing, we didn’t close down. We expanded. We had more people coming in here during COVID, because of COVID, and we were able to fill their needs by providing food,” says Ralph Gauvin, a volunteer. “This was a great way to give back to the community.”

“The need was really pretty huge at the beginning because everything shut down all of a sudden, and income had to get readjusted,” says Ruth Gauvin, Ralph’s wife, who also volunteers.

While pandemic restrictions eased over time, there was an awareness that there was still a need to provide people with a nutritious meal. Now, every Monday, cooks and bakers come in to prepare food, and then additional volunteers package it and hand it out on Tuesday.

“It’s something I can do for the Church and for the community,” says Patricia Overall of Farmington, who began volunteering not long after moving to the area five years ago. “I was new in town, so it was an activity and a way to meet people and to help people.”

“I started in the warming center and then, when COVID struck, I went into the kitchen,” says Charles Curtis, a volunteer from Farmington, who is one of the chefs who also ensures the kitchen remains sanitary. “It gives me a chance to get out of the house, and it actually is very satisfying.”

The meals vary from week to week. On this day, barbecued chicken legs are on the menu thanks to a donation from a local farmer.

“It might be spaghetti. It might be pork roast. We’ve had pork chops to go. We’ve had ribs to go,” says Cheryl Pike, a volunteer. “Next week, we’re doing catfish.”

“They include a dessert. They include fruit. We had a lot of cabbage, so we made a lot of coleslaw yesterday, so those things go into the meal as well,” says Ruth.

“One lady came in and she said, “I really enjoy these meals, number one because they are nutritious. They are balanced,” says Cheryl. “And she said, ‘Sometimes I split the entrée in two and make two meals out of it.’”

Along with picking up a meal, people can browse through the food pantry, which is also located near the entrance to the hall. The pantry is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and as is the case with the meals, there are no restrictions on who can come or what they can take.

“Unlike other pantries in the state where you have to come in and sign your name and you’re restricted by a certain number of pounds of food or whatever, it’s designed more like a store. We put food out, and people come in at their leisure, take what they need, and go,” says Ralph. “We designed it so you can come in the front door and come in the side door. Those are unlocked. But you can’t come in the rest of the building.”

While you might think that people would take advantage of the situation, the volunteers say for the most part, that hasn’t happened.

“People respect it.,” says Ruth. “The whole thing was based on wanting to preserve people’s dignity. There is no judgment.”

The clients include everyone from seniors to college students.

“It’s a good cross section of everybody. We have parents come in for their kids. We have people come in because they have bigger families at home that they must take care of,” says Ralph. “We have the college literally next door, the University of Maine at Farmington, so we’ll have a large percentage of people come in who are college students.”

Lucille, a client, says she stops by every Tuesday to take advantage of the meal and to pick up a few items from the pantry.

“It fills in the gaps beautifully. You never know what is going to be here, and it really has been a boon to me. I’m 76 years old. I’m handicapped. I live by myself. I don’t live in subsidized housing,” she says. “I have a very small Social Security check, so this really, really helps.”

“I’m a personal support specialist, so I’m coming here to pick up for my client. He is housebound, and there are two people in the household, so it’s a great help to them,” says Rene. “This has just been beautiful. I pick up some stuff for myself, too, while I am here.”

The pantry gets food from the Care and Share Food Closet, which partners with the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn. It also gets donations from Hannaford, and from other community organizations.

“There is a lot of community support. It’s not just people who attend this church who support it,” says Ruth. “It’s just been heartwarming to see how the community is taking care of each other.”

The same holds true for the ministries offered at St. Rose of Lima Parish. Like St. Joseph, St. Rose has an outside Blessing Box where people can drop off or take items. There is also a small food pantry, located in the community center’s entryway where, similar to the one at St. Joseph, people can pick up whatever they need.

“We have food racks with canned and dry goods as well as perishable items like bread, vegetables, etc.  We will also be purchasing a cooler with a glass door, which will replace the old refrigerator we were using.  This will hold leftover community meals, milk, and other items,” says Dan.

The community meals are served two Saturdays each month and are put on by different groups, such as the Daughters of Isabella and Knights of Columbus.

On the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, people are invited to “The Gathering Place,” held at the community center. It’s an opportunity to gather for a meal, as well as fellowship such as games or a movie.

The community center is also home to the Food Cupboard of Jay, Livermore, and Livermore Falls, which leases space there, and it is home to the parish’s thrift store.

“We were called to do corporal good works, and we’re trying to do them in a way that is not just transactional. We’re trying to integrate the community into what we do, and the thrift store is a good example of that. Not only do people get to come in here and shop, but they come here and spend all day.  Many of these people are here pretty much every day we’re open. It’s something to do. It’s pleasant. People know each other. They have a good time. We want them to feel like they are part of the community,” says Dan.

“We’ve become good friends with the regular customers. It’s nice to get to know people of all walks of life. We pray for each other. We encourage each other. It’s just a fun place to be, an uplifting place to be,” says Jennifer Taylor, the thrift store coordinator.

“We’ve built relationships with the community, and that’s a big thing for me,” says Joline Crawford, another volunteer. “I think that we really provide a great service.”

The thrift store is so popular that on Tuesdays and Saturdays when it is open, people wait in the parking lot for the doors to open.

“They have everything, and the prices, you’re not going to get anyplace else,” says Debbie, a customer from Livermore Falls.

“I’m in the medical field, so I like to look at the scrubs. I like to come here before we go to the store to see what they have,” says Elizabeth Smith, a customer.

“I have this little baby doll, and I like coming here to shop because they have cute clothes for her,” says Elizabeth’s daughter, Julia.

“Everybody is looking for a bargain,” says Jennifer. “It’s fun to look for that item that is a treasure.”

While many come to browse and mingle, Jennifer says the thrift store also provides a valuable service to those facing adversity.

“We have a lot of homeless people who come to us for vouchers, people who have been turned out of their homes,” she says. “It’s not only clothing that we have. We have furniture. We have dishware. We have toys, tools, all sorts of items. So, we can provide a variety of things when they’re really in need of supplying a household.”

While St. Rose of Lima and St. Joseph have both become places where people know they can turn for help, Dan says, at the same time, he realizes the need will never be fully met. He says, however, as he often tells the volunteers, there is still much to be gained from the experience.

“You need to be doing this through a Catholic lens if you’re doing it through the church, and there is a difference in that,” he says. “You’re connecting yourself with God.”