During the July Windham Town Council meeting, Rene Daniel, the town’s General Assistance Administrator, and Colette Gagnon, Windham’s Social Services Administrative Assistant, were recognized for their invaluable contributions to the Windham Food Pantry and the Windham Clothes Closet.
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| RSU 14 Board of Directors member Marge Govoni, left, presents Collette Gagnon of the Windham Food Pantry and Windham Social Service Director Rene Daniel with a plaque for dedication to Windham students during a meeting of the Windham Town Council last month. COURTESY PHOTO |
Colette Gagnon, Social Services Administrative Assistant, runs the Windham Food Pantry and oversees the Windham Clothes Closet. She takes donations, makes appointments for people to get food, oversees volunteers, makes sure the drive through is ready, and helps prepare Thanksgiving baskets during the fall and Christmas baskets during the winter. During the summer when farmers bring their produce to donate, it is Gagnon’s job to sort all of it and store it, as well as any other donations.
“There are so many aspects to running a food pantry, you cannot even imagine,” says Gagnon.
Gagnon taught in Westbrook schools for 37 years and after retiring, decided to volunteer at the Windham Food Pantry in 2013. After some time, when the position opened up, Gagnon decided to apply for it.
“With the start of the school year, there is more of a demand on the Clothes Closet as well as the Food Pantry. I have had social workers come down from the school to get things for certain children when they see that they have a need for clothing,” says Gagnon. “I have also been having some parents calling and making appointments to go down to the Clothes Closet to get clothing for their children. I have also had many new families sign up for the Food Pantry.”
The Food Pantry is always in need of certain items, such as toilet paper, paper towels, tuna fish, peanut butter, small cans of soup and small cans of beans. As for clothing, donations are welcome as long as they are in season.
“I am not taking any summer clothes, I am looking more toward fall clothing,” she said. “We always accept bedding except for pillows due to federal regulations.”
Gagnon also helps with the Katahdin Program at Windham High School, which also has many families dealing with food insecurity.
Rene Daniel is the Windham General Assistance Administrator and also plays a role in Social Services Department of Windham. He says a typical day for him is hectic.
“There are individuals calling me for different questions, hoping that I can help,” says Daniel. “I deal with mostly emergency situations, such as rental assistance when a landlord presents an eviction, or when seniors are in need of a certain service like a hospital bed or a wheelchair. Anything from birth to death, anyone can call me, and I can help them. If I do not have the answer, I will find the answer.”
Daniel’s says that his goal is for every senior in Windham to come to the Food Pantry once a month.
The Windham Food Pantry is open by appointment to receive food Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We are very lucky with our Food Pantry,” he says. “We feel that we do what any food pantry should do,” he says. “But it is not just us; this is the whole community working together to help each other.”
Receiving a plaque for dedication and service was very humbling and a very pleasant shock to both Gagnon and Daniel.
“We feel that we do what any food pantry should do,” he says. “But it is not just us; this is the whole community working together to help each other.”
Gagnon said the award was totally unexpected.
“We were told that we needed to go to the Town Council meeting and on our way, we were thinking, ‘what have we done wrong, what is going on,’ so we were totally surprised when Marge Govoni presented it to us,” Gagnon said. “Windham is a great community and very generous. Whether it is donation products or donating your time. And we are very appreciative of that.”
Daniel has worked for Social Services in Gorham and Westbrook in the past and grew up in Westbrook.
“Westbrook is wonderful, but I have never seen a more generous, more giving, more resourceful people, that support us 100 percent each and every day,” says Daniel. “Our job sounds difficult, but because of the people who live in Windham, it is a pleasure to do what we do.”
Windham residents can call 207-892-1931 and make an appointment to come to the pantry, and simply show proof of residency to receive food. <
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