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Members of the University of Maine, Old Town and Orono communities have united to volunteer their time and services to families affected by the April layoffs of 300 Old Town Georgia-Pacific mill workers.
About 18 members of the UMaine community assembled to find a way to provide aid to the recently unemployed workers and their families.
“The purpose of the meeting was to begin to talk about how we can assist, and what resources we have that we can use to help,” said Janet Waldron, vice president of administration and chairperson of the group. “People here care a great deal, everyone wants to help in every way we can.”
Campus resources, such as the UMaine Counseling Center, have made themselves available by giving those who lost their jobs a chance to talk in privacy.
“In times of crisis in the community, the Counseling Center is always willing to offer assistance to help folks in distress and times of need,” said Dr. Doug Johnson, director of the Counseling Center. “The Counseling Center is staffed by psychologists and Ph.D.-level trained practitioners. I would really hope that knowing we are here as a resource will ease people’s mind, knowing there is a private, confidential place to come to discuss their concerns.”
Johnson said the Counseling Center’s staff helps bridge the university and surrounding communities in times of need.
“I think that the Counseling Center staff is concerned about making sure that the relationship between the university and community is strong, healthy and mutually beneficial,” Johnson said.
Other resources available to aid G-P families are the UMaine Employee Assistance Program, the YMCA of Old Town and Crossroads Ministries.
“When the news broke that G-P was letting so many go I just really spent time looking at how we were going to expand our services to accommodate the number of people,” said Brenda Davis, founder and director of the Crossroads Ministries.
Davis founded the Old Town-based establishment in 1991 in hopes of bringing the community together during difficult times.
“Crossroads is doing nothing different for the workers since we have been doing things for the last 10 years,” Davis said. “With the donations we receive we fill the gap between what is needed to sustain people and each family that comes in, because it is different every year. We can only identify that gap. Back in the day we needed to go to our neighbor for a cup of sugar, but one day they might not need help with sugar. They might need help with the light bill, food or cleaning products.”
Bangor Daily News