Volunteers Nealie Morey, left, and Carley Morey, daughters of Operations Summer Snacks co-founder Jill Russell-Morey, prepare to make a delivery. Contributed / Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

A successful season for Operation Summer Snacks

Operation Summer Snacks is an initiative of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Windham. The parish annually collects food for children in need who participate in their “Backpacker” program during the school year. In summertime, many of these children can also find themselves lacking healthy foods to snack on while school is out. That is why in 2016, the parish initiated their “Operation Summer Snacks” campaign in the hopes of providing 1,000 snacks to families. That initiative has grown significantly since its beginnings seven summers ago.

Haley Pal, a Windham resident and active member of the Windham Historical Society, can be contacted at haleypal@aol.com.

“We ended up donating 5,310 individual snacks to the Windham Food Pantry this year thanks to the generosity and dedication of donors,” said Jill Russell-Morey, a founder of the program.

Operation Summer Snacks works with the pantry to deliver donations to those in need. Through the program, each child receives various individual-sized snacks like raisins, crackers, fruit cups, granola bars and other such items.

“Our young friends in this community have reaped the benefits of generosity and we are so thankful for the people responding to this call,” Russell-Morey said.

Organizers and volunteers are already gearing up for Year 8 of Operation Summer Snacks, which is set to kick off in May of 2023.

Fall foraging

We all get mushrooms cropping up in our backyards from time to time. Do you ever wonder if any of the fungi growing on your property are edible? You might enjoy taking a trip with the Windham Parks & Recreation department to the New Hampshire Mushroom Company on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The bus leaves the Windham Town Hall parking lot at 8 School Road at 8:30 a.m., heading for  Then Tarnworth, New Hampshire, where you will learn all about identifying mushrooms, cooking with them and more. The trip also includes a stop at the Mountainview Station Restaurant in Ossipee for lunch, which you will pay for on your own.

You’ll return to Town Hall at 3 p.m. with new knowledge under your belt for some mushroom foraging you can do at home. The cost for the trip is $20 per person. It is open to people age 18 and up. Call Windham Parks & Rec at 892-1905 for more information.

New library hours

Due to staffing issues at the Windham Public Library, the library will continue to be open only five days a week, however, there are a couple of changes. The library is now reopening on Saturdays, but it will be closed on Fridays.

The library hopes to return to its regular six-day schedule as soon as they are all staffed up.

Craft fair season is here

The Windham Lions Club is hosting a craft fair at the North Windham Union Church, 723 Roosevelt Trail in North Windham, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Handcrafted items, including knit goods, soaps, jewelry, sewn items and themed gift baskets, will be available. If you have a sweet tooth, there will be a delicious assortment of baked goods to choose from. Prize drawings will be held every hour and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. All proceeds benefit Windham Lions Club Charities. If you’d like more information, contact Windhamlionsme@gmail.com.