Four years ago, Caroline Russell, a Gathering Place Board member, came to me with a big idea. How can we better educate the community about the people we serve? How can we shatter the stigma and stereotypes that exist when it comes to the people who access Housing Resources for Youth, Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, Oasis Free Clinics, Tedford Housing and The Gathering Place? Her answer, through stories. Stories are one of the most powerful tools we can use to engage, inform, and connect with others. The power of a single story goes far beyond simply relaying facts and data.

Stories emotionalize information. They allow people to connect with the message in a deeper, more meaningful way. Caroline saw the wisdom in this and reached out to The Times Record and pitched the idea of a weekly column where our five agencies would have an opportunity to share stories about our guests, programs, and work being done on behalf of those who need it most. While each agency has a different mission focus, there is considerable overlap and commonality in the people we serve. Sharing ideas and approaches can make solving the very difficult problems many people face a little more productive and a lot kinder. Caroline’s vision was that if the community at large had a regular way to follow the efforts of these agencies, it could strengthen community support and compassion.

Caroline knew first hand the joy one experiences from helping others. According to Karen Parker, executive director of Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, “Caroline was head chef on Fridays. She embodied our values of community, food, and dignity. Food, cooking and sharing meals were very important to Caroline . She often talked about how she was influenced by her mom and dad and how much pleasure cooking at Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program gave her. She loved all the feedback and interactions with our guests after she finished preparing the meal with the rest of her Friday crew. Some of her favorite meals to prepare were split pea soup, beef pot roast, cheeseburger soup, barbeque chicken and clam chowder. Caroline didn’t shy away from making some complicated and time consuming meals. Her beef pot roast was a two-day affair in the kitchen and she brought her own honey for the BBQ chicken. I can still see the smile on her face when the meal was done, the guests were well fed and happy. Her compassion, dedication. love of cooking and giving back is sorely missed.”

Caroline was also a monthly volunteer at The Gathering Place as well as a member of our board of directors. She was always so welcoming and generous with her time and often quietly worked with many of our guests in trying to find them work, shelter, and food. She loved to cook and garden and the incredible fruit trees outside our building are a testament to her desire to make something beautiful for all to see but also to have something for our guests to nibble on when we were closed. As I think about all of the simple acts of kindness Caroline openly gave, I am reminded of a story. Christmas of 2019 Caroline and I were chatting while she was on duty for her Monday shift. She asked me where our guests go during the holidays to be with friends and community? Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program has a Christmas Day meal but beyond that, I was not sure. That was not a satisfactory answer to Caroline so the next day she visited, she had a sign up sheet that she posted at The Gathering Place inviting all of our guests to her house for a Christmas Eve meal. She loved to cook but more than that she believed so deeply in the power of community.

“Any time I get the opportunity to come out to help others, I do it, because it gives me joy to see somebody smile.”-Caroline Russell

For the past four years Giving Voices has allowed the greater community to experience what we all get to each day, being part of a community who gets to love and care for others. This column was the vision of Caroline’s with its varying authors, life experiences and perspectives. In her words, “I think it’s fair to say that all of the writers subscribe to some version of “we are our brother’s keeper”! I hope as we all learn more about our “brothers” and what they need and how they encounter life, that we will each feel a little more connected to our neighbors and work to ensure everyone has safe housing, enough to eat, health care, and live in a community where they are safe and respected.”

Caroline Russell passed away in mid-December but her spirit lives on in all of us. As we continue to write our stories and share with the community the important work of all of the agencies highlighted above, I am grateful for many related the offshoots this project has created. These include increased public awareness about the issues of housing insecurity and affordability; new volunteers, clients/guests expressing feelings of empowerment and continuing generous support. Caroline’s vision is a reality and the entire community is stronger as a result.

Mary Connolly is the executive director of The Gathering Place, a daytime drop-in center in Brunswick. Karen Parker is executive director of Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community. 

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