MMSCC favorite Charity Is Expanding

MMSCC’s favorite charity is expanding into for-profit work, per this recent article from the Lewiston Sun Journal. Since the onset of the pandemic, the Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine’s largest hunger-relief organization, which supplies more than 400 partner agencies, has received $1,250 in donations from our club (and more from individual members). This fall, with $25 million in capital from MacKenzie Scott (ex-wife of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos) and a direct investment of $2.5 million from Good Shepherd itself, the organization will launch a subsidiary called Harvesting Good, which will grow, process, freeze and distribute fresh vegetables. The first crop will be broccoli grown on Circle B Farms (photo) in Caribou. The fresh-frozen broccoli will be sold across the Northeast (and appear in Good Shepherd’s local food banks) and the income will help support the not-for-profit parent organization. Harvesting Good will also create jobs in Maine and northern New England. Good Shepherd already invests more than $1 million annually in some 80 Maine farms that last year grew 2.2 million pounds of produce. Harvesting Good aims to produce a million pounds of broccoli in 2023 and eventually introduce six frozen products in all, with a long-term goal of $15 million to $20 million in annual sales. We are very happy to support Good Shepherd—food insecurity was a problem in Maine before Covid and will remain one after the virus has receded—and we are pleased that, in a small way, we have been able to contribute to the establishment of this creative new venture. —your MMSCC Board of Directors

Northern Area Dustoff

Another group of MMSCC members (plus two intrepid drivers who arrived a bit late but also were in attendance at the Southern Dustoff the previous day) met at the home of John and Diane Woodruff in Blue Hill for the Northern Dustoff. It had been a while since the club had traveled this ‘farthest north’ territory of our club. After a meet and greet the attendees mounted up and headed south on a pleasant drive down through Brooklin and stopping for lunch at the dock in the lovely seaside town of Castine.

In the interim, the southern members, Frank and George Silvestri, arrived a bit late from Harpswell to make the drive. Feeling sorry for us, hostess Diane, who had stayed behind on the drive took the late arrivals (after coffee) for lunch at a local Blue Hill establishment.

After lunch the group proceeded to a back parking lot of the lovely Ledges retirement community where Malcolm Purvis resides for some wine and cheese and socializing. And of course inspecting and admiring the interesting assortment of lovely sports cars that turned out for the event. Another fine day and traditional fun MMSCC event.

Southern Are Dustoff

​On Saturday May 21 our driving season started off strong, with 15 members and their navigators making their way to Arundel, Maine, several miles south of Biddeford on Rte 1, to tour the Maine Classic Car Museum. Our club was given special parking right in front of the museum for their classic cars before touring this small but impressive museum of meticulously detailed classic cars, both foreign and domestic. Our club had also invited members of the Northern New England Mercedes club, who added 10 or so very handsome Mercedes to the group.

Next on the agenda was to head just a few more miles down the road to visit a small shop called SL Tech, whose proprietor, Gernold, specializes in only high end restorations of Mercedes 280 SL roadsters. Several car in the shop ‘in work’ left no doubt of the meticulous attention to detail and absolute demand for quality of this man’s passion.

After the second leg of the tour was perhaps the highlight of the day, our luncheon at Bentley’s Roadhouse. Event co-ordinator Paul Barresi thought this establishment a perfect lunch venue, issuing the now famous quote “It’s not REALLY a biker bar anymore.” Well, that’s EXACTLY what it was. There must have been 200 bikes and bikers there, plus another group fo 20 or so Harleys that came roaring in just as we were parking. The place is huge, has 3 bars and numerous sitting areas, so we entered and just kept moving towards the back until we passed through a narrow passageway (the lavatories) and finally broke out into an open areas in back with picnics tables set up. To their credit, the staff was there in several minutes taking drink and lunch orders, which arrived promptly (we must have looked like a tough group). The food and drink was good and the atmosphere definitely . . . . unique. Biker bar . . . .been there, done that!

But the day did not end there. Completing the day’s event was the actual ‘dustoff’ drive down to the coast in Kennebunkport and then continuing north along the shore through Cape Porpoise, Biddeford Pool and eventually back into Biddeford. A lovely drive to end the day.