Backpack program helps reduce hunger in RSU14 - By Elizabeth Richards

A dedicated group of volunteers works with the School Nutrition and Wellness Coordinator, Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro, to be sure that elementary school children in RSU14 who may be experiencing food insecurity don’t go hungry when school is not in session.
 

The backpack program sends food home each weekend and before school vacation with children who have been identified by school staff as potentially needing assistance. The process is confidential from start to finish, with teachers placing the bags inside backpacks while students are out of the room. Families must give their approval to receive bags of food in the backpacks.

Although the program is run through the school, Marge Govoni, who coordinates the program, said it’s not a school endeavor. “It’s not funded by the school budget,” she said. 

When the backpack program began in 2011, it was a joint effort between Hannaford and school personnel, and was funded in part by Hannaford. Hannaford had been sponsoring several backpack programs, and a few years ago consolidated these and turned over the operations to Good Shepherd Food Bank. RSU14 received funding from Good Shepherd for a year, but lost that funding because the free/reduced lunch percentage is not quite high enough in the district.

The free/reduced percentage rate of approximately 37 percent in RSU14 means that funding is harder to come by, said Cowens-Gasbarro. Though the district doesn’t qualify for help from the government or many grant guidelines, there are still hungry kids, she said. “It’s the kids who just don’t make the cut off, it’s the families who just make enough money to get by but are still really struggling, that this program is so beneficial for,” she added.

When the program began, they served 50 children. Now, said Cowens-Gasbarro, they have a budget to provide 150 bags. The program runs on volunteer labor, from the coordinator to those who pack the food. The cost of sponsoring a child for a full school year is approximately $200.

The program receives funding from community donations, including their major donor, Windham Weaponry, who offers an employee donation program. Other organizations have found creative ways to help, like Birchwood Day Nursery who had children run a “marathon” and raise money for the program. 

“There are so many different ways that you can help, different ways to fundraise rather than money out of your own pocket if you don’t have it,” said Cowens-Gasbarro.

The program also recently received a generous grant of $15,000 from the John T. Gorman Foundation. The hope is that with those funds and community donations, the program will continue to build and become more sustainable.

The backpack program can only accept monetary donations, not donations of food. Govoni said there are a few reasons for this, including the need to provide the same items in each bag, the weight of the bag, and the ease of packing for volunteers.

A survey is sent home at least once a year to solicit feedback from the families served. “It’s really great insight for us, and it helps because we like to give feedback to our major contributors,” said Govoni. 

Cowens-Gasbarro added, “We get some really great feedback from parents about how it’s helping their family. It’s very touching. Sometimes when you are in it you lose sight of that so it’s really nice to hear from the parents.”  

Though the backpack program serves all three elementary schools in the district, the need doesn’t stop there. A snack program, also community funded, provides snacks to children who don’t have them. 

The middle and high schools both have a “Village Fund” intended to help kids purchase lunch if they need it. At the middle school, this has been fully funded by Windham Weaponry. For the high school fund, donations are also needed. These programs are important because giving backpacks to kids that age just doesn’t work, said Cowens-Gasbarro.

Govoni said she can’t stress enough how important the backpack program is in the district. “It’s a very worthwhile program, and it’s a 100 percent totally appreciated program,” she said.

Cowens-Gasbarro said the program helps kids stay focused and learn better. “In some cases they rely on school meals. That’s what they eat. They don’t have any food at home.” This is why programs like the backpack program and summer meal sites are crucial. “We work on all that, trying to feed kids every which way we can,” she said. 

Individuals or organizations who want to donate to the backpack program, the snack program or the Village Fund can contact Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro at scowens-gasbarro@rsu14.org.

Lowe's Heroes Program helps local Veterans - By Michelle Libby

Every year Lowe’s donates a project to a local organization as part of its Lowes Heroes Program. This year Lowe’s employee Ben Woodman approached the Windham Veterans Association about doing a project for them. 

“We had plans from 10 years ago and they accomplished everything, except for a fence,” said Dave Tanguay. “This was a total surprise.” 

Lowe’s worked to make what the Veterans are now calling BBQ Park with the addition of four horseshoe pits, 12’ x 16’ patio, garden accents, two fire pits and cleaned up the bean hole pit. The volunteers also painted an existing shed, added soffits and vents, and painted an arbor. 

“It’s beautiful. Just what we envisioned back in 2005,” said Veteran Don Swander. 

Every year Lowe’s does a hero’s project, said store manager Michael Ball. “We go into the community with a small budget of funds. This was a perfect fit for it based on the list they had.”

The Lowe’s team of 15 has worked two and a half days to complete the project. They also had vendor support from Old Castle stone vendor and Olympic paint vendor.

“It means a lot and it does not take a lot of time to do,” said Ball. “It’s good to get out in the community. [The employees] work here. They live here. For them it’s good to give back. These are local folks who work there. This is a great cause.”

The Veteran center has been undergoing a makeover over the last year. “It’s been a banner year,” said Tanguay. With inside painting, a new security system and heating system, a fundraiser to pave the driveway, which will be done later this month, and now the addition of usable outdoor space, the Veterans hope all of this work will help with hall rentals. This fall they also hope to renovate the kitchen.    

The rentals help to keep the center open and provide programs for Veterans in Windham and all over the state. “They took a look at our wish list and did 90 percent of it,” said Tanguay. 

Lowe’s also donated an aluminum ladder to replace an old wooden one the Veterans were using to access the attic as well as ceiling tiles for the kitchen project. 

“It’s been a win win,” said Ball.

Back L to R: David Tanguay, Michael Ball, Matt Berthiaume, Dick Small, Nikki Calden, Sarah Hodgkin, Chuck Whynot, Leon Davies, Casey Taylor, Clarence Cummings.

Front L to R: Ben Woodman, Jenna Kilburn, Joshua Beane, Todd Armstrong.

Missing: Jim Wadsworth, Holly Rowe, Paul Cheeseborough, Dan from Valspar

Young Life hosts gathering to pray for school year - By Michelle Libby

On Saturday a small group of people gathered at the Windham High School flag play to pray for a successful school year. The event was hosted by the Young Life organization, which is open to all students. Last year was the first year Young Life was a club at Windham High School.
 

“I really wanted to do this,” said organizer Nicole Foster. The event was small this year, but Foster has hope that year after year it can become bigger. In southern states, she said, they have breakfast with the prayers. 

This year Linda Babbitt from Windham and a committee member for Young Life lead the prayer.

The prayer was for all children before they start school. “Make them know who you are. Who they are in you,” she prayed. She asked that students get their identity from Jesus, not from drugs and other harmful substances. They also prayed for teachers and administrators and everyone in the school. 

“We will be praying for you this whole year,” said Foster. 

Foster put a prayer for her children in their backpacks every year. Last year, when there was a lockdown in Windham, she said she felt comforted because of that prayer. 

The club meets at the Robie Gym in Gorham just over the Windham line on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. The meetings haven’t started for this year yet. 

Cole Milazzo from Saint Joseph’s College is returning as a leader for the club. He went through a 6-week training by a local area leader. 

According to the Young Life website, “Young Life's mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and to help them grow in their faith. This happens when caring adults build genuine friendships and earn the right to be heard with their young friends.”

 “They’re here,” said Foster. The group was present to help after a death affected the school last year, she added. The group is slowing gaining momentum. Members meet at Dunkin’ Donuts before school to pray and center themselves for the day. 

“If they are discouraged reach out to let people know. We don’t want to lose any more children,” said Tammy Bennitt. 

This summer nine girls attended a Young Life summer camp. The Young Life Sebago group hopes to send 20 girls and 10 guys from Windham next year with money it raises throughout the school year.

There will be a Noon Day event that will help support international women at risk and will also raise funds for Young Life to help sponsor the campership fund.

Grant funds new trails for Riding to the Top - By Elizabeth Richards

Grant funding and community collaboration recently allowed Riding to The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham to purchase a new tractor and create new riding trails on their 50 acres. 

Sarah Bronson, PT, executive director, said that a $50,000 grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, along with $5,800 from the Allagash Brewing Company funded the project. The trail development and clearing was a collaborative effort between the farm and the Cumberland County Water and Soil Conservation District (CCWSCD) and their Youth Conservation Corps.

Bronson said the grant application was written to develop environmental trails that include interpretive signs, allowing riders to get out in the woods in a natural environment. The terrain changes of trail riding also means riders must adapt with postural changes, steering and decision making. “It is a very therapeutic environment and very different than being in the arena,” Bronson said.

The purchase of the tractor was essential to the trail development, but will also help with day to day management at the farm, Bronson said. The grant funding also allowed Riding to the Top to partner with CCSWCD. “They were very helpful in identifying areas that would be the least disruptive to the environment,” Bronson said. 

Robyn Saunders, Program Director at CCSWCD said they appreciated the opportunity to work with Riding to the Top. “They were very proactive in recognizing that they needed a little natural resource help and some engineering, which is really our specialty here,” she said. The purpose of the CCSWCD is to educate the public and promote stewardship of natural resources. In this project, she said, they helped to balance the natural resources needs, giving guidance on how to avoid wet areas, for instance, when planning the trails. Putting trails in wet areas would have required permits, which also would have tied up some of the funding, she said.

After the behind the scenes work of laying out trails was complete, the CCSWCD’s Youth Conservation Corps went to work. This group of high school aged individuals along with a team leader did two weeks of hands on work clearing trails at the beginning of August. 

“The great thing about this grant is that it was a real collaborative effort,” said Bronson. By the end of Fall 2015, three trail loops will be complete, with another planned to be completed next year. While the program has had permission to use trails that abut the property, they could not control how those trails were used. “It’s really nice to have some trails of our own,” Bronson said. In the future, they will be looking at some other possible winter uses for the trails. 

Riding to the Top has offering therapeutic riding in the community for 22 years. They serve 90 to100 riders with disabilities per week, ranging in age from 3 to 80 plus. The farm houses 15 horses, and uses approximately 60 volunteers per week. In 2014, the program logged over 10,000 volunteer hours.

There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer at the farm. Bronson said that many people volunteer “to get their horse fix” but end up learning a lot about how to work with people with disabilities. 

Riders can be referred in a variety of ways, and a physician’s signature is required for participation in lessons. There is a waiting list for lessons, but eventually all on the list are served. Bronson said that lessons only account for 30 percent of their operating budget. Every lesson has a built in subsidy, and the farm offers four levels of scholarships as well. 

Funding for the program comes from Annual Fund donations, grant writing and special events. The 7^th Annual Reins of Hope Charity Motorcycle Ride will be held on Saturday, August 29^th. On October 17^th, the farm will host the 8^th Annual Triple B: Boots, Band & BBQ. For more information on these events or the program, visit their website at www.ridingtothetop.org.