From staff reports

AUBURN – The Good Shepherd Food-Bank had a tractor-trailer load of water just waiting for a need. Then Katrina struck.

Now, having gathered three more tractor-trailers full of bottled water from people throughout Maine, the liquid bounty is about ready to head south to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The food bank on Hotel Road already had water sitting on its shelves – some for months – thanks in large part to regular donations by Poland Spring Water Co. and Hannaford.

Unlike much of the food gathered by Good Shepherd, there was no great calling for the water, until Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

“Most things we can’t keep on the shelf 20 minutes,” Good Shepherd Executive Director Charles Large said Friday. “It’s a delight to find a place where it’ll serve a tremendous benefit.”

The supplies, mostly one-gallon jugs of Poland Spring water, were enough to fill one tractor-trailer. But it didn’t stop there.

Food bank staff and members of Citadel Broadcasting Corp., which owns several radio stations in Maine including WBLM-FM, spent the last three days collecting donations of water and cash at the Maine Mall in Portland, from people from all over the state, according to Michelle Gosselin, Good Shepherd director of development.

By Friday night, they had enough to fill three more tractor-trailers with bottled water – Gosselin estimated 45,000 bottles.

National Disaster Relief, a Brewer group, has agreed to transport the donations south, Gosselin said, noting that the donated water and money will be delivered directly to Red Cross officials there.

Donations are still being collected. Large said that in addition to water, paper goods, cleaning supplies, snacks and canned chili and stews are desperately needed. He urged people to mark their donations clearly that they are intended to go to hurricane relief.

Some things have arrived at Good Shepherd already.

“It’s obviously very encouraging that people care,” Large said. “People are no more human than when others are in need.”

The food bank is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. Donations may also be left at the door. The facility is at 3121 Hotel Road.