Caroline Russell- 2/4/19

The origin of Giving Voice

As a longtime supporter and board member of The Gathering Place, I learned that the executive directors of four local agencies- Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Tedford Housing, Oasis Free Clinic and The Gathering Place (TGP) met monthly to keep one another up to date, as well as share concerns and ideas. Mary Connolly, TGP’s Director shared that now each had a better relationship with one another and a better understanding of one another’s missions and programs. While each agency has a different mission focus, there is considerable overlap and commonality in the people we serve. They are single mothers with children, two-parent families, veterans, grandparents, and many others. Some need help feeding their families, others have been recently evicted after losing their jobs, some are alone, while others have been on the streets for many years, suffering from health decline, mental illnesses and addictions. There is not one face that comes through these doors, there are many.

There used to be an idea of what someone who was homeless or frequented their area food bank or ate at a soup kitchen looked like. That’s not true anymore. If the recent government shutdown taught us anything, it is that we have no idea which one of our neighbors was formerly homeless, one paycheck away from being homeless or struggling to feed their family; it’s a broad spectrum. Until recently, the system for dealing with these issues has been a patchwork of shelter options and service agencies working independently to help people get back on their feet. That approach has changed. Sharing ideas and approaches can make addressing the very difficult problems many people face a little more productive and a lot kinder.

In writing this article I reached out to The Gathering Place to ask if they could share a story with me to help illustrate this idea. The following was shared with me by Mary Connolly, Executive Director:

“The Gathering Place was visited by a young woman recently who had never been to our facility. She was in her 20s, very quiet and fragile. The young women had fled an unsafe living situation. Her boyfriend was an addict and she was trying very hard to get away from that lifestyle. She was scared of what staying could mean for her so she walked away not having any place to go. She came to The Gathering Place looking for help. She was greeted by one of our wonderful volunteers who spent time listening to her, reassuring her, while trying to determine how we could help. To begin, she mentioned she had left her current living situation with nothing but the clothes on her back. We reached out to The Seventh Day Adventist Clothing Bank, TGP’s neighbor, and they stepped in and gave her a few items to help in the short term. She was starving so one of our volunteers took her to the soup kitchen for lunch and arranged for her to have a few food items to take with her. She was not feeling very well and was very tired, so we referred her to Oasis to set up a well check appointment. Now, where to lay her head? so, we called the Tedford Shelter and they immediately sent over their case manager to meet with her and set a plan in motion.”

Each of her immediate needs were addressed not by The Gathering Place, but because each of these agencies put her first.

All of these agencies are dependent on local financial and volunteer support; wouldn’t it be a good idea to share needs in the community that the agencies work to address? If the community at large had a regular way to follow these efforts, could it strengthen community support and compassion? With the support of  The Times Record, TGP, Oasis, MCHPP and Tedford have been sharing our work, our need for support, stories from and about our guests and clients, as well as providing information about who we are and what we do. There have been many related offshoots: increased public awareness about the issues of housing insecurity and affordability with forums in Brunswick and Bath; some new volunteers at the agencies, clients/guests expressing feelings of empowerment, and continuing generous financial support.