For some, the meal served as a fundraiser for the pantry and local Chamber of Commerce, while for others it was a stress-free way to enjoy a good Thanksgiving dinner.
A free community meal held Thursday at the Farmhouse Inn in Blue Hill was like others held throughout Maine on Thanksgiving. It helped raise money for local service organizations, it provided a traditional holiday meal to people who didn’t want to cook or had other plans, and it brought area residents together for an hour or so of fellowship that can be hard to come by.
It was the third such meal hosted at the inn in the past several years, according to Ann Rioux, who owns and operates the inn with her husband Bill Rioux. Ann Rioux, who also serves as president of the Chamber board, said the organization wanted to hold a community event for the holiday, and decided to also raise donations for the Tree of Life Food Pantry in Blue Hill, which saw a surge in demand over the past two months as the federal shutdown disrupted food assistance programs across the country.
“We decided we would resurrect the community dinner,” said Rioux, adding that she and several other people prepped for days in order to get the food and the inn’s event barn ready. She said volunteers came from as far as Camden, Portland and even New Hampshire to lend a hand.
“It’s been a lot of work,” Rioux said. “It’s a wonderful way to get to know people.”
Deb Case of the local food pantry said demand for food donations has “increased tremendously” in recent weeks. The number of families coming through the doors has grown from roughly 120 to 220 as funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ran dangerously low during the federal shutdown, she said.
“With food insecurity, there is a real sense of fear,” Case said.
That sense seemed far away Thursday at the inn, however, as roughly 80 people arrived a little before 1 p.m. and sat down at place settings arranged on tables in the banquet hall. Diners at each table took turns to form a line at the serving table, where volunteers portioned out pieces and spoonfuls of turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, biscuits and gravy on their plates.
Mike White, who works at Hammond Lumber in Blue Hill, was among them. He said his longtime girlfriend went to visit her family in upstate New York, and he didn’t have enough time off work to make the trip with her. He said he has gotten food from the Farmhouse Inn in the past, when they used to do Sunday brunch and, at other times, made takeout pizzas.
“They’re nice people,” he said of the Riouxs and their staff. “And I’m not going to cook a turkey dinner for me. It’s very good.”
Nancy and Chris DeTurk traveled from western New York to the area because they’re in the process of buying a home in Blue Hill. They hope to move next year, after making some renovations.
They said they saw a post on Facebook about the community meal at the inn and decided to book seats.
“This was a nice alternative to eating gas station hot dogs,” Nancy said. “We have no way to cook. It was nice to meet people in the community.”
“It was a great meal. Amazing,” Chris DeTurk said. “And we made some friends.”
