Fill the Van, Fill the Shelves

Recently Denise Olsen, the school nurse at Sebago Elementary School, dropped off some canned goods to the Sebago Food Pantry. She was shocked to see the cupboards were almost bare. Roberta Douglas, whoruns the pantry informed her that December had been a very busy month, and people are in great need here in Sebago.

Olsen returned to school, and she and Kathleen Beecher, school principal planned an Emergency Food Drive. A short school assembly was planned for Friday, Jan. 11 to discuss the big plan to fill a School Administrative District 61 van with food. Alas, Friday ended up being a snow day, as was Monday. Hopefully by press time they will have had their assembly.

They hope to make the food drive a classroom-to-classroom competition, culminating on Friday, Jan. 25. The winning classes will have an ice cream party, all the other classes will receive freeze pops.

In the community, food collection boxes will be set up at the following locations: the lobby at Sebago Elementary School, Jordans Variety, Four Seasons Variety, and at Sebago Town Hall.

On Friday, Jan. 25, SAD 61 will bring over an empty van to the elementary school, and volunteers will collect the boxes. They hope to deliver a full van to the food pantry around 2 p.m..

Information about this food drive may be found on locally posted posters, as well as on the Sebago Elementary School and Sebago town Web sites.

New East Baldwin Postmaster

Jody Blanchet, a Sebago native, became the Postmaster at the East Baldwin Post Office Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. Jody’s mother, Ruth Douglas, herself a 30-year postal carrier, held the bible during Jody’s swearing-in ceremony. Congratulations to you Jody. Hope to come in and visit you soon.

Knit Wits

The Knit Wits were very busy this fall making a large assortment of baby hats for premature babies. In all they made, and delivered 40 red, white and green baby hats to Maine Medical Center before Christmas.

On Jan. 24, the Knit Wits will meet at June Allen’s home, 112 Hancock Rd., in Sebago. Any new knitters, or anyone interested in knitting for the preemies are all invited. Yarn and patterns will be provided, bring size 3 or 7 knitting needles with you. Knitters will arrive around 9:30 a.m., bring along a sandwich if you wish to stay through lunch. They will break up sometime in the mid-afternoon.

In February, the club will work on the Project Linus blankets. More information will follow on times, dates and locations.

Cross Country Skiers Wanted

Allen Crabtree has had a few phone calls regarding his formation of an informal cross country ski group. The first ski session will on be Sunday, Feb. 10, snow permitting, at 1 p.m. Crabtree lives at 703 Bridgton Rd. (Route 107), 1 1/2 miles north of Sebago Town Hall. He would like the group to gather and ski on Sundays at different spots around town. For more information call Crabtree at 787-2730.

There is also free cross country skiing provided by the Sacopee Valley Recreational Council, on Sundays from 1 – 3:30 p.m. Equipment and basic instruction are provided at no cost. Skiers use the snowmobile trail behind South Hiram Elementary School, and meet at Horizons Building next to the school. A couple of pairs of snowshoes will be available as well. For more information call Peter Zack at 625-7833 (work), 625-3605 (home).

Library Plans Christmas in July

Spaulding Memorial Library volunteers are planning a Christmas in July recycling day as a fundraiser for the library. Now is the time for you to weed out your older, unused holiday decorations (what a great start to your New Year’s resolution to de-clutter your home). Donations of used Christmas items will be welcomed at the library during regular business hours.

All recycling efforts are appreciated by the friends and volunteers of the library. Plce donations at “your trash is our treasure” table set up near the library fireplace. Here, gently used items that have been donated, mostly household, and they are sold, with profits going to the library.

There is now a collection box for “Box Tops for Education” at the library. The 10-cent coupons are located on hundreds of commonly purchased grocery store items. You need only to clip the coupons and donate them, to help raise money for the elementary school, and their classrooms. To make it even easier, you may even put your collected box tops into the book return slot in the front of the library.

The library will be closed on Monday, Jan. 21, for Martin Luther King Day. The book group will still meet that same evening though, at 7 p.m., at the library. The book being discussed is “Infidel.” You may pick up next month’s book, “Power of One,” at that time.

For more information, call 787-2321, or visit the library’s Web site, directors@spaulding.lib.me.us.

Shared Experience

As I read Carol Meader’s column in last week’s Lakes Region Weekly, I noticed we have something in common. I have never met Meader, but we shared a very special, similar experience during the Ice Storm of 98. While I didn’t live in Sebago at that time, so felt

I really couldn’t write what happened here in the storm, I did nonetheless experienced the same storm.

At the time of Ice Storm of 98, I was nine months pregnant and living in Buxton with my husband and our two children. When we lost our electricity, we were forced to leave the trailer we were living in and temporarily move in with my mother-in-law in Westbrook. In this one bedroom, with twin beds, stayed myself (complete with very large belly), my husband, 8-year-old son, and 7-year-old stepdaughter.

I was not working at the time, but my husband was, and continued his commute to Bath Iron Works from Westbrook. I don’t remember exactly how long we lived in this manner

I think possibly eight or nine days, our cat came along with us complete with litter box in the cellar. Bless our in-laws for having us all. It was a special time, and a time of closeness for us, and so many others.

Not long after the ice storm, when power had returned, on Jan. 23, my son Tommy was born. I think I need to go see Carol Meader and get a photo of our two ice storm babies, one pre-, one post- as they reach the milestone of 10 years old. My son’s baby book is filled with ice storm photos, I am sure hers is, too.

Finding the cupboard bare, Denise Olsen of Sebago Elementary School has enlisted students and Sebago residents in a food drive for the Sebago Food Pantry. Donations can be made throughout town until Jan. 25.