Linda Paul has retired after 14 years of helping fight poverty and hunger in Windham as the sole director of Windham Social Services.

Since its inception in 1991, Paul has run Windham Social Services which offers assistance to local low-income individuals and families.

As the administrator of general assistance in Windham and as its only official social worker, Paul has helped low-income Windham residents support their families and themselves by helping them find adequate housing, heating and rental assistance, job referrals and by teaching them how to contact the right people to address other needs.

“It just gives you a good feeling when you can give them a helping hand – a hand up, not a hand out,” Paul said.

Paul began her social work career in 1971 at PROP (People’s Regional Opportunity Program) in Portland. As a rural social worker for PROP, Paul would visit families throughout Cumberland County to give them in-home care, assess what level of need they required and help them get the services they needed.

“Linda had great working relationships with the people that would come to us for assistance,” said Vickey Doughty, Community Services Director at PROP. “She had great empathy for what their needs were and went out of her way to get them the resources that they needed.”

In 1991, when Windham wanted to develop their own social services department, Paul stepped forward to take on the challenge. Since then, she has worked with hundreds of local residents, averaging 20 to 30 families a week, often to provide them with everyday essentials such as food and clothing.

At the Family Resource Center on Route 202 where Windham Social Services is housed, Paul ran a food pantry. Those in need were invited to come once a week to pick up groceries or have them delivered to their residence ir they were unable to come to the center. They could also stop by and take advantage of the center’s supply of free used clothing.

Paul often relied on donations from the community to provide clothing and food for the center.

“Windham is a very generous community,” Paul said. “We’ve had a lot of donations of food, donations of money and the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets.”

While the community has been generous with their donations, Paul said that many people don’t realize the troubles facing low-income families in rural suburbia such as Windham. Paul believes that through social services, and places like the Family Resource Center, those families can get the help they need to get them back on their feet.

“You do see things improve, you do see families change,” Paul said. “You can’t help everyone, but it’s good to help the ones you can.”

In Paul’s absence, Town Manager Anthony Plante has contracted PROP to take over operations at the Family Resource Center until the town can find a permanent replacement to run Windham Social Services.

“Linda’s one of those quiet, unassuming people, but she has touched and improved the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people,” Plante said. “Certainly, her presence and her contribution will be missed.”

The Family Resource Center, located next to the Windham Public Safety Building on Gray Road, will continue to run its regular hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and regular programs such as general assistance and the food pantry.

Linda Paul stands in the food pantry of the Family Resource Center. Paul, who has just retired, ran the Family Resource Center and Windham Social Services for 14 years, providing food, clothing and financial help to those in need.