Food cupboard gets new delivery truck

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The new truck purchased recently by the faith-based Living Word Community Food Cupboard has all the components it needs: steering wheel, four tires, a truck bed – and no chicken wire holding it all together.

The food cupboard has replaced its former decrepit vehicle with a new International truck, thanks to a $25,000 donation from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, $21,000 from a USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Grant and about $14,000 in local donations.

Food cupboard president Pastor Tom Bruce of the Living Word Assembly of God Church on Wednesday showed off the sparkling new vehicle that was packed with boxes of donated food. Checking out the vehicle were USDA Rural Development officials Michael W. Aube, state director, Michael G. Rollins, area specialist, and Emily Cannon, public affairs specialist.

“We kind of look at that as a way to support our mission of sustaining and building rural communities,” Aube said Wednesday of the USDA’s contribution. It made sense to help with the truck’s purchase, he said, because President Bush supports faith-based projects and because of the excellent track record of the food cupboard, which supports more than 500 families in the region.

Aube, Rollins and Cannon presented Bruce with several boxes and a basket of food that were donated by USDA employees in Bangor and Augusta. Cannon said the word went out about this week’s trip to Dover-Foxcroft, and the employees “overwhelmed” them with donations.

Bruce, who donates numerous hours to feed the hungry, was all smiles Wednesday.

“Thank you so much,” he told the state officials. During the visit, patrons entered the food cupboard’s distribution center on North Street and left with bags of fresh bread and staples.

“These guys are like family,” he said of the patrons. “We’ve been doing this [food cupboard] on about $30,000 a year, and we don’t even know where the money comes from.”

Because of the gasoline the old truck consumed, Bruce said he had to weigh whether an out-of-state trip for a load of food was worth the effort.

“Now I’ll be able to make more trips, and when I go it will be financially worthwhile,” he said. Where it cost about 16 cents a pound with the old truck, it now might cost 6 cents a pound per trip, he added.

Bruce was equally grateful to the Cahill Food Bank in Lakeland, Fla., which donated the funds to pay the excise tax and register the truck. The food bank supplied the Dover-Foxcroft cupboard with two tractor-trailer loads of food on opening day many years ago, he said.

“I’m very thankful for all the help,” Bruce said.