SPRINGVALE — People, many of them elderly, began assembling at the Meals Kitchen around 11:30 a.m. Feb. 23, pouring steamy cups of coffee in anticipation of the meal that was to be served 15 minutes later.

York County Shelter Programs provides free midday meals, served by volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at Springvale First Baptist Church.

Folks dining last week said the meals are not only tasty, they help stretch their limited budgets and more.

“The food is good, and its a nice hot meal,” said Diane Johnson. “And we’ve made friends with the people here.”

”The price is right, and it makes what (funds) we have go further,” said her husband, Richard Johnson. Both are disabled and on fixed incomes.

Those meals are made possible by donations. And with costs climbing – about $800 per week for food alone – the shelter is finding it increasingly hard to fund them at two locations.

“We can no longer afford this cost,” wrote shelter director Robert Dawber in a recent plea to members of the Sanford Springvale Chamber of Commerce. “I am hoping some of the members will partner with us to continue to provide these meals for the people who need them. For most, it is the only hot or good meal they receive each day.”

Until recently, York County Shelter Programs served meals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Main Street in Sanford’s downtown sector. But that location closed in January when a water pipe burst at the host facility, First Baptist Church in Sanford. It has not been re-opened, although there’s a desire to do so.

Neither of the meal kitchens, which began 20 or so years ago in a smaller capacity and evolved into a fiveday a-week operation, has ever had funds earmarked only for its operations, said YCSP’s development director, Megan Gendron. Instead, the shelter has cobbled together donations to make the program work.

So Dawber put out a request for help through the Chamber of Commerce.

“We need (one) or several businesses to sponsor the free meals programs,” wrote Dawber.

Figures supplied by Gendron show a substantial increase in demand for the meals over time. In 2011, 11,150 meals were served in Sanford and 2,731 in Springvale. Fast-forward to 2015, when 13,415 meals were served in Sanford and 3,647 in the Springvale village location.

The numbers are not surprising. Figures supplied by Rep. Anne- Marie Mastraccio, D-Sanford, show 2,086 Sanford and Springvale households receive supplemental nutrition assistance, commonly called food stamps.

“We’ve really worked hard on developing our fundraising program. We have an amazing amount of donors,” said Gendron.

But the shelter also operates a York County food pantry at its headquarters in Alfred, and most of those donations go to the food pantry. “We’re left with this one piece with no dedicated funding source,” Gendron said.

Along with a growing number of clients and an increase in the cost of food, host facilities need contributions for their utility costs – about $100 a month for the Sanford location, shelter officials said.

“The Baptist church and its congregation have been wonderful hosts, and YCSP will always be grateful for their support,” said Dawber.

The shelter is appealing for help in the form of financial donations and a new downtown space that offers access to kitchen facilities.

Back in Springvale, diners were tucking into piping-hot shepherd’s pie and roast potatoes and vegetables.

“We’re thankful for the meals. There’s not enough who are thankful for what they’ve got,” said an elderly man who declined to give his name.

“It means a lot to me,” said Grace Cina, who drives down from Lebanon for lunch. Widowed, she said she often doesn’t want to cook for herself, and the free meals help stretch her budget.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.