Scott Loeffel directs a group of street pastors at the corner of Exchange and Middle streets. They began their patrol at 9 p.m., armed with Tootsie pops for anyone they met in downtown Portland.

A group of street pastors patrol the Old Port, making sure people are staying safe and helping those who need it. The group is comprised of volunteers from local churches.

Every volunteer street pastor has to get a referral from their church and pay $95 for a uniform and a background check before starting out with the patrols.

A pair of volunteer street pastors attend to a woman in the Old Port on a recent Friday night.

Group leader Scott Loeffel talks to a homeless man during the street pastors' recent patrol through the Old Port. The pastors walk the streets for five hours, assisting anyone who needs help.

Jeff Verrill, left, Scott Loeffel and Stuart Hammond, right, assemble on an Old Port street as late-night crowds mill about on the sidewalks.

The group of street pastors in Portland is the third such group in the country following Bangor, and Chico, California.