WISCASSET

Fingertips and lips were stained berry red on Saturday at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church for the 62nd annual Strawberry Festival.

“We’re trying to create an old-timey feel with familyfriendly activities, something for everyone,” said Gretchen Burleigh-Johnson, a coordinator of charitable programs at St. Philip’s, noting that there were booths inside the church and out filled with local craftsmen’s wares, and games for young children on the lawn.

A hot dog stand drew the noses of some dogs passing by on lead, and strawberries being sold by the quart disappeared rapidly, but the star of the festival, said Burleigh-Johnson, is always the strawberry shortcake.

“Scrumptious homemade biscuits piled high with Maine strawberries and real whipped cream,” said Burleigh-Johnson, noting that Round Top strawberry ice cream was on hand for the true berry enthusiast.

The strawberries were picked fresh from Popp’s Berryland in Dresden Saturday morning by congregation members, who also made the biscuits, and various assorted pastries and pies that were available.

“Our congregation is dwindling, like many other churches,” said Burleigh- Johnson, “but the townspeople who look forward to it every year say, ‘We hope there is going to be another festival.’

“So we all just take a deep breath and get to it,” she said and, with the help of friends and neighbors, the longstanding Strawberry Festival brought sweetness to residents for another year.

That means more than just delicious desserts, though. Proceeds from the festival go to fund the church’s programs, said Burleigh-Johnson, including the Help Yourself Shelf food pantry and the Feed Our Scholars backpack program.

The Help Yourself Shelf food pantry is open every week and is free to anyone who needs food assistance, said Burleigh-Johnson. Visitors are welcome to return every week.

The Feed Our Scholars backpack program provides meals to students in the Wiscasset school district who live with food insecurity.

“The schools identify the students who are most in need,” said Burleigh-Johnson, and those students are discreetly handed backpacks filled with enough food on Friday afternoon to last the weekend.

“We don’t know to whom it is going, we just provide it,” said Burleigh-Johnson. “We got enough funds to supply 40 children for the first half of the year and were able to up it to 44 for the second half,” of last school year, she said.

“Next fall we’re going to fund 54 — 25 at the primary school, 25 at the middle school and four Head Start families,” she said.

St. Philip’s partners with Good Shepherd Food Bank, First Congregational Church and Two Bridges Regional Jail to support Feed Our Scholars.

Food is stored at the jail because the churches lacked the space, Burleigh-Johnson said, and inmates volunteer to fill the backpacks for students.

“Over 50 percent of Wiscasset school children get free or reduced meals, that’s over 200 kids,” said Burleigh-Johnson. “We feel great about the ones we can help but, there are so many more that need help.”

The church will also host four fish chowder suppers this summer to support their charitable programs, on July 21 and 28 and Aug. 4 and 11.

Seating starts at 5:30 p.m. and guests are seated at half hour intervals thereafter through 7 p.m. The fish chowder supper is $15 for adults, $5 for children, and children under 5 years old eat for free.

Members of the congregation are also fundraising to replace the deteriorating church steeple, which could set them back to the tune of $30,000.

“We just did a bean supper and raised about $1,000,” said Burleigh-Johnson, and the hard-working congregation is planning another bean supper as soon as they can rest up and catch their breath, she added.

rgargiulo@timesrecord.com