Tom Reeve Steps into Executive Director Role

Hello. I wanted to introduce myself to you all. I am Tom, the new Executive Director at the Food Pantry. It is an honor to be chosen to shepherd this important community resource. I hope I am up to the task.

A little about me and my family. 

I moved to the area in 2013 from Muncie, Indiana where my wife Cassie and I lived for about 9 years. We brought along our two dogs, two cats, and our kid, Zach. A few years later, my mom joined us and now lives next door. We all live in Trenton on the Oak Point Road. 

Since moving to Maine, I have been involved in the local food industry. My first job on island was at Beech Hill Farm. I also worked on the relocation at the Blue Hill Co-op. I was a board member of the Maine Farm and Sea Cooperative and have also worked with them off and on for the past six years writing grants, working on marketing, and cooking food for Bike Maine. 

One of my favorite memories of working in Maine was cooking with the Knights of Columbus in Fort Kent for four meals during the Bike Maine Tour of the St. John Valley in 2018. The same group of volunteers had been preparing meals for the 500 bikers, volunteers, and staff for two days straight, working from four in the morning until nine at night preparing breakfast and dinner. On the last evening service, I came across an 80-year-old woman carrying a Cambro full of 5 gallons of hot coffee. I said, “let me take that,” only to be scolded in French and English about how she could do it and to watch out. I backed off with a “Oui, Auntie” and the entire volunteer crew and I got a good laugh at that one. 

By far, they were the hardest working people I had ever met. I think about them often when I am tired at the end of a hard day’s work. 

The past few years I have been a bread baker both as co-owner of Old Dog Baking Company and as solo owner of Wild Breads of Acadia. At Wild Breads, I used 100% Maine-grown grains from Maine Grains in Skowhegan. They are having a huge impact on the local food industry in Maine and are on their way to resurrecting Maine as New England’s breadbasket. I hope to incorporate more local foods into our programs at the pantry because I believe that a strong local food economy makes a strong local economy for everyone.

My first few weeks at the Pantry have been spent learning the ropes at the Pantry, organizing the administrative part of the operation, and revamping our volunteer program. Lucky for me, Sara keeps the Pantry running smoothly and Sonja has Serendipity working like a well-oiled machine. The two of them, along with the tireless volunteers, are the backbone of the Pantry. Everyone at BHFP makes my life easier and I am so lucky to have them. 

As we all know, gas prices, heating costs, and inflation are seriously impacting all of us, our friends, and our community. National trends show that food banks and food pantries are getting hit hard, not only from increased food costs, but also from a shortage of products. When you add in an inability of people to fill their car to even get to the Pantry and you have a very grim situation on the horizon. 

We will continue to offer food and support to anyone who needs it in as many ways as we can, be it at the pantry, at satellite sites like the Trenton Timberwolf Community Cupboard, or delivered to those who cannot make it into the Bar Harbor. With your support, we will rise to meet this challenge, as well as all the other ones we will face. 

If you have read through this, thank you. If you would like any more information about the Pantry or would just like to chat, reach out to me at tom@bhfp.org.