Downtown Biddeford Give Back Event
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For Immediate Release by The University of New England’s Office of Citizenship & Civic Engagement, November 15, 2019
The University of New England’s Office of Citizenship & Civic Engagement partnered with the Heart of Biddeford to hold the inaugural Give Back Get Lit downtown Biddeford service event with the Sophomore Class of 2022.
After a long week of cloudy weather, the sun showed up just in time for 65 UNE students to gather on Main Street in Biddeford and give back to the local community. Students helped decorate downtown with holiday lights and create care packages for the York County Shelter Program. The students, all from the class of 2022, spent roughly three hours together in town packing the care packages and hanging holiday lights.
In an interview with NewsCenter Maine, UNE sophomore class vice president Gunnar Fryzlewizc said, “It means a lot that we get to get to help out in any way we can…it brings a smile to my face. I really enjoy seeing my friends and classmates here with me today.”
Students worked together to climb high and string lights across several trees and city parks on Main Street. At The Art Certificate Program building, the students were able to craft 50 care packages for the residents of the York County Shelter Program. The packages contained personal hygiene items such as shaving cream, razors, hairbrushes, shampoos, soaps, dental care items, and more. All the care package items were personally donated or given as gifts from local area dental offices and hotels.
Staff from UNE’s Citizenship & Civic Engagement Office were able to obtain a generous voucher from the Salvation Army of Northern New England. With this voucher, it assured that each adult resident at the shelter could receive a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. The children were also able to receive sweatshirts, sweatpants, pajamas, and a stuffed animal just in time for the holidays.
In total, roughly $2,000 worth of donated items were delivered to the York County Shelter Program. Community give back events such as this one is crucial for connecting UNE students to the larger southern Maine region that many of them now call home.
UNE Citizenship and the Heart of Biddeford hope to make this project a yearly tradition. The lights will stay up in town through the holidays.
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