[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22679]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE FAIRFIELD INTERFAITH FOOD PANTRY

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                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2009

  Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a vital program 
to the Greater Fairfield area, the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry at 
the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The Food Pantry has assisted 
innumerable members of this community, and I would like to take the 
opportunity of their celebration of sixteen years of service to 
congratulate them on their lasting impact.
  At the celebration on October 3, 2009, the Fairfield Community will 
recognize and honor Nancy Marcoux, the Interfaith Food Pantry Director, 
and Richard ``Dick'' Tompkins, the Co-Director since the beginning. The 
work that Nancy and Richard have done is truly amazing. The volunteer 
staff and the clients appreciate and respect both of these hardworking 
individuals. They are known to everyone in the Greater Fairfield area, 
and when someone is in need of assistance, they do not hesitate to call 
Nancy or Dick and know that their doors will open.
  The Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry works with the Maine Department 
of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources which oversees The Emergency 
Food Assistance Program, a federal initiative that provides commodities 
to about 260 voluntary feeding programs in Maine. The Fairfield 
Interfaith Food pantry also receives assistance from the Kennebec 
County Sheriff s Department, says community services officer John 
Matthews. Under the Sheriff's Department program, incarcerated inmates 
harvest potatoes and mixed vegetables on 8 acres of fields in Augusta 
and Benton. The program was started by Sheriff Randy Liberty and yields 
fresh produce for the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry and other food 
banks in Maine.
  Today is an opportunity to thank Nancy Marcoux and Dick Tompkins for 
their dedication to this program. In Nancy's words, ``you got to do 
what you got to do to exist.''

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