Catching some rays

Pantries, community center extending help to those who need it

Winter can be tough for families experiencing food insecurity or other challenges, but help is available for those who are struggling, with several local organizations offering food, fuel or a warm place to go.

The Bridgton Food Pantry has fresh fruit and vegetables as well as meat, poultry, other food items and household and personal care products. The pantry is located at the former Bridgton United Methodist Church, 214 Main St., and is open to anyone in need from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday. It currently serves over 200 local families. For further information, call Penni Robbins at 318-4467.

St. Joseph Catholic Church at 225 South High St. also opens a food pantry once a month to provide nonperishable, shelf-stable goods such as canned food and pasta. To learn more about this community effort, call 647-2334.

The Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street (behind Renys) is offering a limited amount of emergency fuel assistance (wood, wood pellets or other fuel) to qualified Bridgton residents who complete an application and interview. For more information, call the BCC at 647-3116. To make a donation to help the fuel bank, go to bridgtoncommunitycenter.org/program/bcc-fuel-bank.

Extreme cold weather is hard on everyone, so the Community Center is also serving as a warming center during power outages. The town manager will post notifications about the warming center at bridgtonmaine.org. People can also contact the BCC at the number above for more information. Small pets (cats and dogs) are welcome, but owners are asked to keep them in carriers or on a leash and bring food for them.

Rufus Porter Museum lecture

Horologist Bob Frishman, the previous owner of the only clock attributed to Scientific American founder Rufus Porter, will speak about the history of this remarkable timepiece, which is now in the collection of the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity on Main Street. The talk will be presented virtually from 7-8 p.m. Feb. 9. A suggested donation of $10 will be gratefully accepted by the museum. A Zoom link for the lecture will be provided a few days before the event. For further details, go to rufusportermuseum.org.

History of Pleasant Mountain 2

Mike Davis of the Bridgton Historical Society will continue his presentation on the history of Pleasant Mountain from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street. This is the second half of the talk about the well-known ski slope and its impact on the town of Bridgton over the years. More talks are planned for each month in 2022. The talks are free and open to the public but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, call the Historical Society at 647-3699.

Perri Black can be reached at perrilb@gmail.com or 647-8272.