To the Editor:
There are times that I couldn't be prouder to live on Cape Ann. Last week was one of those times.
Each year during the second week of May, a perfect storm of events, all related to hunger and hunger awareness, descend upon The Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry in full force. This year our new mayor, Carolyn Kirk, helped us officially recognize the heavy lineup with a proclamation declaring May 4 through May 10 as "Community Hunger Awareness Week" in Gloucester.
We kicked things off with Comcast Cares Day, on Saturday, May 3, when several dozen employees of the communication company braved the raindrops to come work on projects around the pantry. Armed with brushes, brooms and boxes, they made the pantry shipshape. They also prepared and served an old-fashioned roast beef supper for our guests at The Open Door. Their efforts were part of a nationwide Comcast employee service day that involved more than 50,000 people. They were "Comcastic!"
On Sunday, May 4, we participated in Project Bread's Walk for Hunger. Many people from Cape Ann joined a crowd of nearly 40,000 to walk the 20-mile stretch and collectively raise $3.8 million for pantries across the commonwealth. Project Bread provides the Cape Ann Food Pantry with a substantial annual grant for food purchases each year.
On Tuesday, May 6, we traveled with Lisa Castellucci to the Statehouse to join a food bank rally, "Hunger Day on the Hill," to help raise awareness of the growing need for emergency food assistance in Massachusetts. Lisa's own story helped put a face on the ordinary people who, when faced with the higher costs of living, have found themselves in need of help from a food pantry.
On Thursday, May 8, more than 1,000 people came through Cruiseport Gloucester for our eighth annual Empty Bowl Dinner. The bowls, contrary to the event's name, were not empty. They were filled with soups from some of the finest restaurants on Cape Ann. After dinner the bowls went home as a reminder that somewhere, someone's bowl could be empty.
On Saturday, May 10, the Letter Carriers of Gloucester, Rockport and Manchester collected the bags and boxes of food left at the mailboxes along their routes. The day yielded a grand total of 14,157 pounds of food (up more than 1,000 pounds from last year) for the Cape Ann Food Pantry.
Last week's outpouring demonstrated the heart of a community that cares about its neighbors in need. On behalf of The Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry, I want to thank the many hearts and hands that made the activities of this week possible. Ours is a big job, but when we do it together, we are bigger. Cape Ann is a great place to live, and I am proud to be here.
JULIE LaFONTAINE
Executive Director
The Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry
Gloucester
