The heart-wrenching images of children separated from their parents at the Mexican border have prompted millions of Americans to ask, “What can I do to help?” Moved to respond by thoughts of their own daughter, two Bowdoin graduates (Charlotte and Dave Wilmer) launched a Facebook fundraiser and raised $20 million to support the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in less than two weeks. Perhaps Anne Frank was right when she wrote, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

Several members of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick decided to do their part to help asylum seekers when they began meeting in the fall of 2016. To get a better sense of the asylum issue and ways to help, they met with representatives from Welcoming the Stranger, an organization based in Portland, and Catholic Charities. They also reached out to other religious organizations in the midcoast area to expand the effort.

Today, this group serves as the steering committee for Midcoast New Mainers Support Group, which involves volunteers from six area churches and a synagogue.

They have focused to date on helping asylum seekers from Africa (e.g. Burkina Faso, Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). They currently work closely with five different families, each of which has been vetted by the Opportunity Alliance, a Community Action Agency for Cumberland County based in South Portland. The families they serve had expressed their willingness to relocate from Portland to the Midcoast area, which offers more affordable housing.

The assistance offered runs the gamut: helping find and/or provide housing; paying for a security deposit; donating furniture; giving rides to doctor appointments, school, drivers ed classes, the YMCA and summer camp; giving English lessons; and on and on.

When asked why she volunteers so much of her time for this cause, Joanne Rosenthal explained, “My (Jewish) faith and all our faith traditions instruct us to welcome the stranger because we were once strangers. And at this particular unbearable moment where asylum seekers are being put into detention centers (when they have not committed any crime) and children taken from their parents, I feel even more compelled to assist these families who have fled their homelands to escape violence and persecution. It’s the right and moral thing to do.”

Cathy Cyrus, another founding member, speaks to the mutually beneficial nature of these relationships, “It’s so inspiring to see the courage, responsibility, resilience and gratitude of these families.”

To fund their activities, the group relies upon personal donations and fundraising events.

The Midcoast New Mainers Support Group provides a wonderful way to help people who are escaping from horrendous situations in other parts of the world. The group seeks volunteer help as well as donations. If you are moved to get involved, please contact Joanne Rosenthal. [email protected] or 841-6188.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at [email protected].