by maineseacoast | Sep 14, 2020 | Downeast Campus, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Scott Shaw, Weald Bethel Community Center
CHERRYFIELD, ME — Downeast Campus Facilities Manager Scott Shaw sends this photo of a painting newly displayed in the Weald Bethel Community Center.
Scott writes the, “Schoodic Prince donated to the Community Center by artist and volunteer Cynthia Huntington” of Tunk Mountain Arts & Crafts in Cherryfield. Cynthia’s painting, writes Scott, is the “perfect size and ambiance in our Community Center.”
Learn more about our Weald Bethel Community Center.
by maineseacoast | Aug 19, 2020 | Downeast Campus, EdGE, Food Pantry, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Thank You Thursday, Weald Bethel Community Center
It’s Thank you Thursday. Today’s shout out of Mission Love goes to Milbridge, ME based Mano en Mano (Hand in Hand).
Founded in 2005, Mano en Mano works with farm-workers and immigrants to help them thrive in Maine. The organization’s work includes partnerships with Maine Seacoast Mission.
Mission Service Program Director Wendy Harrington said, “We began working with Mano en Mano in the early days of the Mission’s EdGE program when they helped us support the English language learner students in the after-school program.”
This year, starting with a $10K Good Shepherd Food Bank grant to support distributing culturally-specific boxes of food for local families and for migrant workers, Mano en Mano partnered with the Mission, Vazquez Mexican Takeout Restaurant, and Downeast Community Partners. Using the Mission Downeast Campus Food Pantry as a central location the team distributed 165 boxes of food to 347 people.
“It..was so helpful having this partnership [and] great to provide food for families. Now they feel comfortable picking up food there,” said Mano en Mano migrant education director Juana Rodriguez-Vazquez.
Mission Service Program Director Wendy Harrington added, “This year our work with Mano en Mano has become more integrated around food security, financial support for people in the community, and the new housing initiative.”
This is what community looks like.
On the web: https://www.manomaine.org
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manomaine/
by maineseacoast | Jul 30, 2020 | Downeast Campus, Food Pantry, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Thank You Thursday, Weald Bethel Community Center
It’s Thank you Thursday and today’s shout out of Mission Love goes to the retail supermarket Bayside Shop ‘n Save in Milbridge.
Ask Mission staff working throughout the front lines of any and all of our food security services and programs. Their responses are always glowing and succinct. Case in point: Jillian, who is a powerhouse with food activities at our Downeast Campus, Cherryfield, says of Bayside Shop ‘n Save’s work with the Mission: “Bayside Shop ‘n Save has a strong commitment to our local community and donates surplus produce and bakery items every week. They rock.”
The past several months, when Covid-19 fallout caused our Food Pantry customers to more than double, Bayside never flinched. Their commitment to their community kept pace with increased demand.
Whether it is providing great tasting food for the popular Downeast Table of Plenty Sunday Dinners, saying yes to Food Pantry volunteers using Bayside’s parking area to successfully raise money to buy turkeys for Washington County Food Pantries to have for Thanksgiving — Bayside Shop ‘n Save does it all.
This is what community looks like.
On Facebook.
by maineseacoast | Jul 29, 2020 | Food Pantry, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Weald Bethel Community Center
www.gsfb.org
Culturally Relevant Food in the Hands of Mainers in Need
July 28, 2020
In the wake of COVID-19, Good Shepherd Food Bank pivoted its operations and began distributing pre-packed boxes of shelf-stable foods to support food pantries in implementing low-touch distribution models. The Food Bank ordered shelf-stable food by the tractor-trailer load, buying products that are common to most Maine households—but we soon heard that our one-size-fits-all approach was not meeting the needs of Mainers of Color. Our product mix was lacking foods that were culturally relevant to Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities in Maine.
One example of the great work happening across the state with help from this fund is by Mano en Mano.
Mano en Mano works with farmworkers and immigrants to help them thrive in Maine. The organization envisions a more inclusive Downeast Maine where the contributions to diverse communities are welcomed; access to essential services, education and housing are ensured; and social justice and equity are embraced. Through the Food Bank’s Community Redistribution Grant program, Mano en Mano was awarded $10,000 to support the distribution of culturally-specific boxes of food….
With the funding, they saw the opportunity to partner with Maine Seacoast Mission, another local nonprofit partner, and Vazquez Mexican Takeout, a local restaurant. Vazquez quickly ordered food from Boston and Maine Seacoast Mission provided volunteer and logistics support, as well as space to store the food until the pick-up and delivery day.
Full Story
by maineseacoast | Jul 28, 2020 | COVID-19 Updates, Downeast Campus, EdGE, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Weald Bethel Community Center
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Olivia Dyer with EdGE Summer Camper.
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EdGE Summer Camper creating with Olivia Dyer inside Weald Bethel Community Center.
CHERRYFIELD, ME — EdGE Summer Camp. Budding young artists explore foam and Gelli plate printmaking techniques with instructor Olivia Dyer. Thank you, EdGE Site Coordinator Jennifer Kearns for these photos.
Learn more about EdGE Summer Camp.
by maineseacoast | Jul 9, 2020 | Downeast Campus, Downeast Maine Tiny House Project, Housing Rehabilitation, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Thank You Thursday, Weald Bethel Community Center
CHERRYFIELD, ME — “Lee Watrous is our all star volunteer/contractor from Gales Ferry CT,” said Housing Rehabilitation Program Manager Scott Shaw in an email about the Downeast Maine Tiny House Project. “Lee has agreed to help us out with the project,” said Scott. Lee is now working on the tiny house at Assabet Valley Regional High School, finishing and preparing the house for transporting to Milbridge, ME. “Lee also offered to work on the home in Milbridge,” said Scott.
Mission fans may remember Lee Watrous and his volunteer work crew in 2018 when they finished the Final Phase of expanding and modernizing the Weald Bethel Community Center. The finished building included a commercial-grade community kitchen, additional dormitory space for Housing Rehabilitation Program volunteers, new EdGE classroom space, and space for weekly community functions.
And for Lee’s work on making Housing Rehab Program area homes safe and warm, one homeowner said, “Absolutely nothing will stop the progress of a job site when Lee Watrous and crew are volunteering with the Mission’s Housing Rehab Program.”
Downeast Campus Director of Service Programs Wendy Harrington called Lee Watrous, “Super Volunteer.”
This is what community looks like.
