ROCKLAND — The Maine Lobster Festival's directors were thrilled to offer the festival's financial support to four local organizations at their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

Thomaston Inter-Church Food Pantry
The Thomaston Inter-Church Food Pantry serves approximately 75-80 families each month throughout Knox County. The food pantry takes place in Watts Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. Community members may stop by once per month to obtain needed food items. Last year, Thomaston Inter-Church Food Pantry served 856 households and a total of 2,538 people. The organization plans to use their donation to buy food for Knox County residents in need. Roberta Carmichael attended the meeting to accept the donation of $1,500 on behalf of the food pantry.

Oceanside High School Memorial for Alumni
Local community members are in the process of installing a memorial in honor of Rockland District High School's and Oceanside High School's alumni who have passed away. Organized by Cindi and David Hamlin, a granite stone with the Compass Rose has already been made, and they plan to install a walkway with stones that can be purchased with names engraved. The idea of the memorial came from the tragic loss of El Faro crew members and Midcoast Maine natives, Dylan Meklin and Danielle Randolph. The Hamlin's attended the meeting to accept a $600 donation toward the memorial project.

Saint Bernard's Soup Kitchen
Saint Bernard's Soup Kitchen has been part of the Rockland community for nearly 30 years. The soup kitchen opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, serving approximately 60 people per day. Mary Kate Small, who manages the soup kitchen, accepted a check for $1,500 on behalf of the soup kitchen's volunteers.

Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO) Food Pantry
Sherry Cobb from the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry accepted a check for $1,500 on behalf of the food pantry. The AIO provides food and other emergency needs to Knox County's low-income families and individuals. They recently added a new Weekend Backpack Program to their efforts, sending food home with school-aged children across Knox County in eight elementary schools and one middle school. Their efforts help to heat homes, prevent evictions, cover electricity costs, provide food items, pay security deposits, and help in other types of emergency situations. They have been part of the community for 25 years, and serve more and more community members each year.

The Maine Lobster Festival donates to many local charities and community organizations throughout the year. They were honored to offer their support for these organizations in January 2016.