| August 03, 2018 

As the Volunteer Program Coordinator at The Gathering Place, I have the unique opportunity to see how The Gathering Place has a positive impact on both the many guests who come every day and the many volunteers who give of their time to serve these guests every day.

The Gathering Place was founded in 2011 to provide a day shelter, friendship, and hope for our neighbors and friends in Brunswick. The mission of The Gathering Place is simply: “Welcome.” We provide a safe, welcoming space for anyone and everyone who wants to stop by for whatever their reasons: maybe homeless, maybe lonely, maybe poor, maybe without a job, or maybe struggling with an addiction or illness.

The reasons are as many and varied as our guests, each with a story to tell and a future to dream of. The coffee pot is always on and everyone is greeted with a friendly smile. Some guests come for assistance with finding resources in the community and volunteers are trained to assist them with this. Others come for the coffee, snacks and conversation or perhaps for a game of cards or a jigsaw puzzle. Whatever their reason for coming, everyone is treated with respect and will find encouragement, hope, and compassion here. The Gathering Place is a good place to be, providing an amazing resource to the community for those in need-whatever the need.

The success of The Gathering Place is evident by the increasing number of guests who stop by each day. A year ago, an average number of guests was 50-60 for the day; now we frequently welcome 50-60 guests in the morning and another 35 to 40 in the afternoon. Clearly, there is a great need in our community that is being met by the Gathering Place. We couldn’t exist, however, without our many wonderful volunteers who are the backbone of all we do at The Gathering Place, providing a variety of services to our guests from coffee to conversation, to comfort and companionship.

Volunteers are as diverse as the guests they serve and give generously of their time to do so. They choose to be part of the team for a variety of reasons: perhaps they have once been homeless and struggling and are now in place to give back; some of our volunteers have at one time been guests. Others are retired folks who want to use their skills and experience in an ongoing, meaningful way. Some work part time at other jobs; some are college students. Whatever their backgrounds, what they all have in common is an interest and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. Our volunteers are warm, friendly, caring, generous, amazing people with big hearts and listening ears.

The Gathering Place welcomes new volunteers! Open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays, volunteers choose their own schedules after completing a training. Each day has both a morning and an afternoon shift and the schedule is very flexible to accommodate volunteer schedules. Volunteers recognize the contributions they are making to others and find spending time at the Gathering Place meaningful -and fun! It’s why so many of them have been volunteering for years. Inquiries for more information on how to become a volunteer are welcomed by calling (207) 729- 0288 or stopping in to experience first-hand what a wonderful place The Gathering Place is. We promise a warm welcome and hot cup of coffee!

By Sally Hennessey is the volunteer program coordinator at The Gathering Place. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in our community.