WINDHAM – Since August, Lauren Porter has had Christmas on her mind.

The 14-year-old Windham Christian Academy ninth-grader has already bought many presents, and she’s hoping to buy a lot more.

But, Porter, who has attended the North Windham school since first grade, has a different purpose in mind with her holiday shopping. She’s buying gifts for people she has never met: homeless people.

Back in the summer, Porter was sitting on the trampoline in the yard of her Kansas Road, Naples, home along with her brother, 12-year-old Erik, and friend, 13-year-old Joey Sargent – both students at Windham Christian Academy, as well – when she became consumed with the idea of raising donations to provide Christmas presents for Maine’s homeless.

Porter set to work figuring out who she would give presents to. Knowing she couldn’t randomly drive city streets handing out gifts to people who looked like they might need them, she sought out homeless shelters. After some searching – and in her view, God’s help – she settled on the only shelter to call her back, Tedford Shelter in Brunswick.

“It was perfect. We had a goal of making 20 baskets, and they said they had 20 individuals, so we took that as a sign,” Porter said.

The shelter also has six families in residence, so the trio has their work cut out for them. So far, they’re doing quite well raising donations. They’ve launched a Facebook page: “Project Jesus Christmas boxes for the homeless.” They have also solicited donations from church members, family and friends. Sargent even received an anonymous $20 donation in his locker.

So far, the teens have raised about $600, a significant portion of which came from one Windham Assembly of God church member.

With a deadline of Dec. 18, Porter said, she is hoping to raise enough money and donations to provide each resident at Tedford a gift or two or three on Christmas Eve, when she plans to drop off donations.

“I’m seeing people with God’s eyes,” Porter said. “We can say we love people all we want, and I love people, but seeing them through God’s eyes is very powerful. You’re groaning with them, you’re hurting with them, and you want to do everything you can to love them with everything you can get your hands on.”

The three are calling their fundraising effort Project Jesus to focus their efforts on God, not themselves. Last week, someone remarked to Porter that she was a “sweet soul” to be raising money and donations for homeless. After thinking about it, Porter said she didn’t deserve the credit.

“It is Jesus. God’s showing us how to do this. And I just let myself be a cracked vessel to let God shine his purpose through,” she said. “And everything’s coming together, and every time I think about it, it just makes me smile and it makes me so happy that we’re doing this.”

But Porter, her brother and Sargent aren’t just soliciting donations; they’ve also donated whatever money they each had on hand. For Porter, that’s unspent babysitting money, and the three have also walked Naples’ roads looking for bottles.

But they say they have a long way to go before making the Tedford Shelter residents’ Christmas as perfect as they want it to be. And they need the community’s help to succeed. After consulting with staff at Tedford, Porter said, the campaign is in need of toiletry items, especially deodorant, razors and lotions.

They are also hoping for donations of hats and glovers, sweatshirts, coats, blankets, toys, games, clothes and books.

Those wanting to donate items or money can drop them off with office manager Anne Angell at Windham Christian Academy, located on Route 302 near the Raymond town line. Call the school at 892-2244 for more information.

And while they’re the ones doing the giving, Porter and the boys feel they’re also the ones receiving, and, as a result, they feel they are forever changed by Project Jesus.

Erik Porter, a seventh-grader, has a newfound appreciation for what he has.

“It’s definitely changing my point of view on taking things for granted, a lot. I’m not the best at that and I’ve been trying to change, and I think this is helping me,” he said.

Sargent, who is in his first year at Windham Christian Academy, said he’s not only learned how to knit – having knit 15 scarves so far – but also he feels good about paying forward a good deed done to him earlier this year.

“Someone decided this year to donate the money to let me come here this year, the whole tuition, so I feel like God is saying, if someone can donate the money for you, why can’t you go out and give, too?” he said.

And for Lauren Porter, the payoff will come Christmas Eve.

“I haven’t even thought once about all the work it has been. All I can think about is to see those little kids, and even the adults, when we bring over all these donations,” she said. “I can’t wait.”

Displaying a recently donated item, Erik Porter, Lauren Porter
and Joey Sargent, all of Naples, are soliciting donations for
Project Jesus, which will give Christmas gifts to homeless adults
and children in Brunswick. (Staff photo by John Balentine)