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“Mainers
helping Mainers” MORE pictures from the Food Drive here! Teamsters Local 340, through its Women’s Committee, headed up a state wide food drive to benefit the Catholic Charities Maine “Feed the County” program in Caribou which supplies food to 24 food pantries in Aroostook County and maintains their own food bank. The Teamsters Joint Council 10 tractor trailer began traveling the State of Maine on Friday, July 17th. The truck stopped at 13 designated locations along Interstate 95 to load non-perishable food donations collected by the members of Teamsters Local 340. Each stop was well planned to enable convenience for donations to get on the truck and keep it moving. The road crew, driver Paul Flynn, retiree Terry Hanlon, UPS Freight Lorne Smith, business agent Sylvia Hebert, Elmet Technologies Geri Jean, business agent Dan Walsh, UPS preloader Jen Batchelor, Trustee and Business Agent Alan Churchill and Native American political consultant Ben Collings. The truck headed north starting at Exit 2, Kittery Town Hall at 7:00 am. Thank you to Meredith Clark, John Brosnihan, Brett Howard and Ed Laing for giving a helping hand at our first stop. We also thank the Town of Kittery for the resting stop for the Joint Council 10 tractor trailer the night before. Our next stop was Exit 32, Biddeford. Thank you to Ed Dalton Jr. and Sr., Ray Nadeau, all from the City of Biddeford; Sue Seaman from York County Jail and Dick Lambert with the City of Saco. Just up the road we made a stop to Interstate Brands, thank you Ed Noyes, Nelson Lavoie, Paul Burgess and Steve Hilton for all your help. On to Teamsters Local 340, a short distance from Exit 45 South Portland. We had donations dropped off from New Penn, ABF, UPS Wells, University of Maine-Portland/Gorham, Portland Water District, UPS Freight, Keebler Foods, Interstate Brands, Town of Wells, City of Saco, Town of Ogunquit, Local 340 employees and the Teamsters Local 340 Women’s Committee. Thank you to Hannaford Brothers for your generous donation. Then to Exit 75, Auburn. Thank you UPS retiree Sonny Mercier, UPS local sorter Le-Ann Kropa and Tim Coleman from Pionite for your help. The truck makes a stop at Associated Grocers in Gardiner, thank you Tim Boynton, Richard Crocker, Willie Ellsworth and Jeff Bellfleur. Thank you to the City of Gardiner Public Works employees. Next to exit 112B, met by Karen Tangeman from Greater Augusta Utlities. It is here where we find out that the Potato Blossom Parade is being postponed to Sunday for inclement weather headed our way. The show must go on so off we go to Exit 132 Fairfield, thank you to Rob Mercier from the City of Waterville and his wife Stacy, Tim Lawler, Lee Amalfitano, and Cameron Noyes all with UPS. Marlene Angers with the Town of Fairfield and Lynn Woodard from Kennebec Sanitary. Off to Exit 157 Newport, finally a rest. Next to Exit 180, Dysarts Truck Stop in Herman. There we met up with Shannon Smith from the University of Maine-Orono, Shawn Ireland, Vianney Soucy, Tim Kenney, Jim Dunn, and Beth Anderson all from UPS and Bob Goodwin from Garelick Farms. We are now at about the half way mark. Now we are on our way to the long and lonely road to Exit 244, Medway. Thank you John Rush from the Town of Millinocket and David Hasey from Interstate Brands. Then off to Exit 302 in Houlton and yes, you can get there from here. Thank you Roger and Karla Brewer from UPS and Peter Duff from the Aroostook County Jail. It’s now about 6:30 pm and we are going to head to the home of business agent Traci Place in Easton to park until the parade on Sunday. Along the way the tractor trailer meets up with an Amish Buggy on the road, one member states it’s like two worlds colliding. On such short notice of the postponement of the parade we thank business agent Traci Place for putting her home up for some tired Teamsters. She managed to pull together a tent in the rain and a great cook out. She tells me at one point she went to unload her car from pickups she made from the University of Maine in Presque Isle and Fort Kent, City of Presque Isle, Towns of Baileyville and Calais, Lane Construction, TAMC and UPS. She turns to see others unloading their vehicles into the truck. She was quite emotionally overwhelmed by the whole thing. Saturday turned out to be a rainy day but everyone managed to have a good time and get some rest. On Sunday we ended the run by participating in the Maine Potato Blossom Parade on July 19th which ends a weeklong festival that has been around since 1937, the same year the Teamsters of Maine were founded. Along the parade route we collected more food from the community, Paul had Traci’s son Chris for some company in the cab, in the back of the truck were retirees Mickey Maynard and Terry Hanlon with Houston Putnam. Walking to collect food were Collen & Karen Putnam, Robert Lavoie, Amy Hartley and her son Damien, all from Lane Construction, Business Agent Traci Place, Catholic Charities Maine Dixie Shaw, JoAnna Leavitt from WAGMTV, Gloria Towle with UPS, Mike Morneault also from UPS and his three children Micah, Michaela, and Marshall. From TAMC, Cuppy Johndro with her daughter Ashley. Business Agent Alan Churchill with son Alexander and friend Ben Collings. It was a great day; the weather could not have been more perfect after it “rained in our cheerios” the day before. I would like to send a special Thank You out to Interstate Brands, Keebler Foods, Associated Grocers, and Garelick Farms for the generosity shown to this food drive. It certainly is quite rewarding to know that we all can and do work together when the call for need is there. Thank you to all the members and their communities who donated in a monetary fashion. The Teamsters collected 25,000 lbs in food and $850 in monetary donations. With the generous help of members, families, and friends the donations were delivered and unloaded to the Catholic Charities “Feed the County” program in Caribou following the parade. A special mention to Chris Johndro, Chris Hansen, Ben Stroud and Aaron Rogers who worked hard helping us get the truck unloaded. Thank you to the staff of Catholic Charities for your help at the warehouse receiving end. I have not said Thank You enough. Many families will benefit from the work of many of us who realize that a helping hand can reach a long way. I am very proud of how the membership responded to the call for need. On behalf of the membership of Teamsters Local Union 340…Thank You. Fraternally, James E. Carson Sylvia
Hebert Dennis Sisti Traci
Place Carl Guignard Daniel
Walsh Kenneth Eaton Stacy
Nunley Alan R. Churchill Peggy
Timmons Steve Malia Sheena-Jo
Randall
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| Recent News Articles: |
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| From Seacoastonline.com | Teamsters' food drive collects 25,000 pounds |
| From bangordailynews.com | |
| From wagmtv.com | FOOD DRIVE FOLLOW-UP |
| From Portsmout Herald | Local
union helps feed hungry Mainers |
| From bangordailynews.com | Statewide effort to stock County food pantries |
| From bangordailynews.com | Day-late Potato Blossom parade draws crowd |
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