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It’s the dead of winter. Nighttime temperatures have dipped below zero. Most students and community members of the University of Maine have been doing their best to stay inside and keep warm. Thick blankets on beds and hot beverages abound. Would you choose to spend four days living on the mall in makeshift shanties and sleeping bags?
A new student organization plans to.
The UMaine chapter of Habitat for Humanity started sleeping outside late Sunday night in an event called “There’s Snow Place Like Home.” They will stay outside – despite whatever weather comes – until Thursday morning, Feb. 5. Though they likely will not face the most bitter cold this winter has to offer, moderate snowfall is predicted for Tuesday and Thursday, in addition to the approximate two feet already covering the mall.
The students hope to draw attention to the reality of thousands of families in the Greater Bangor area: homelessness and substandard housing.
“In Bangor alone, there are over 3,000 families living in substandard housing conditions,” said Brenton Murray, co-president of the UMaine Habitat for Humanity chapter and graduate student concentrating in sustainability and international business. “This means that 3,000 of your neighbors are living in conditions ranging from incredibly leaky roofs, to houses with rotten and moldy floors and walls. Increasing awareness of the problem is the first step toward helping these people to find suitable housing.”
According to Kelly Wilder, a third-year journalism student and active member, “the group started tossing around ideas for outdoor projects and fundraisers, and a camping idea evolved into the design of our fabulous shanties.”
With the help of local businesses and other student organizations, the participants will demonstrate to UMaine community members the plight of disadvantaged residents in and around Bangor who are forced to live in meager and unhealthy conditions. Amanda Missud, a management student and member of Habitat for Humanity, put it bluntly. “Maybe if it’s right on campus in front of their faces, they won’t be able to ignore it anymore.”
The UMaine chapter members hope to use the event as a fundraiser, primarily collecting donations from local businesses. Harvest Moon Deli, a sandwich shop in downtown Orono, contributed to the endeavor. Other donations came from WBRC Engineering & Architects, the Sports Cafe, Burby and Bates and numerous families and professors. Pat’s Pizza will provide a meal for the group at no charge. Additionally, the group will be tabling in the Union, collecting donations from passersby. The additional funds will go toward building housing for the homeless and disadvantaged.
Members of the group will build teepee-style shanties covered in tarps and rest in sleeping bags lent to them by the Maine Outing Club, along with other basic camping gear.
The participants will not replicate the lives of those they are representing. Most meals will be consumed in the Union; classes will still be attended, and nearby buildings’ bathrooms will be used. But they will endure Orono’s cold temperatures and quickly shifting weather.
“The Outing Club also gave the Habitat members tips for cold-weather camping that certainly helped with preparation, though it does little to alleviate the apprehension of sleeping outside in the cold weather,” Wilder said.
Despite this anxiety, the group is enthusiastic about the demonstration and experience as a whole.
“This is a very hands-on organization, and you can actually see the results of your time and energy, which is definitely rewarding,” Wilder said.
“I think with everyone working together and doing their part, it’s possible to create some change in this issue,” said Dana Buckley, a second-year social work student.
The group attracts a variety of students who share a passion for volunteering. This desire is what drew them together to establish a UMaine chapter of Habitat for Humanity. This group works closely with the long-established Bangor chapter and stretches its message and action to UMaine.
“I was involved in Group Workcamps – similar to Habitat for Humanity – every summer during high school through my local church, rebuilding homes and helping communities,” said member Kimberly Young, a third-year mass communication student. “This semester we have really collaborated so well, and the demeanor of the group is always so welcoming and cheery. I couldn’t have made a better decision in devoting my time to this club.”
Their plans do not stop there.
To wrap up their demonstration after warming up from four nights in the cold, Habitat for Humanity will host a concert on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 8 to 11 p.m. at Orono’s Keith Anderson Community Center. The show costs $1 and will include acts by Hungarian Hot Wax, The Exclusive, Broken 45 and James Gilmore – plus a raffle for gift certificates, clothes, music and other items.
The primary goal is to demonstrate the plight of thousands of Greater Bangor families. Proceeds from both the concert and the demonstration will be directed to the building projects of Bangor Habitat for Humanity.
“It’s really important to raise awareness about these living conditions,” said member Shannon Lyons, a first-year biology student, “because we often forget that when we live in the comfort of our dorms, these people are living in insufficient, substandard housing.”
UMaine community members are invited to stop by the demonstration, which, apart from being the only shanties on the mall – until the Foster Innovation Center builds igloos there on Wednesday – will also be identified by a large banner advertising their cause and sponsors. Anyone can come to show support at the tent site or by making a donation at the group’s table in the Union.
