Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) at the University of Maine contributed to Welcome to Housing (WTH) charity efforts on Feb. 1 by moving large items into storage. The chapter of about 60 brothers split off to volunteer at different locations, inviting potential members to participate in the work.
The Welcome to Housing Home Goods Bank, located at 333 Main Street in Old Town, is a nonprofit organization that provides household necessities, personal care products and miscellaneous items to newly-housed Maine residents. Those in difficult financial situations, who may have been previously unhoused or victims of domestic violence, are offered a selection of products in good condition. Categories of items offered by WTH include but are not limited to bedding, clothing, furniture and medical equipment.
Lisa Tissari is a grant and fundraising intern at WTH who also focuses on securing, organizing and distributing donations. She explained that there is currently a need for towels, sheets, blankets, socks and kitchenware. Small appliances such as microwaves, toasters, coffee makers, blenders, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
One aspect of the WTH mission is the “dignity factor,” which serves as a method to determine whether or not an item should be donated. If it is something that you would not be willing to have in your own home due to poor quality, you cannot expect another person to find use for it. Those unsure about whether or not a donation is permissible may check the website or call to ask.
Nearly 15 years since its founding, WTH continues to serve the community by offering household necessities to local residents to make their lives easier, and sometimes even seeking out specific items. The organization is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who not only donate home goods but also travel to collect them, load, unload and organize large items, maintain the interior and exterior of the property, secure funding by writing grant proposals and more. WTH is currently seeking more volunteers.
A small portion of the UMaine student population could make a great impact on the operation by offering just a few hours of their time. The SigEp brothers proved this notion to be true. About 20 of them arrived on a Saturday morning, and contributed two hours of manual labor. Together, they moved dozens of mattresses stacked on one side of the building to the opposite end, and up a flight of stairs. The brothers quickly thought to establish an “assembly line” of six or so people on the stairs to help transport each mattress seamlessly.
Doug Morrison, a fourth-year student at UMaine, explained the SigEp version of rush week. What they refer to as “Balanced Man Week,” is a period where the fraternity offers six bonding opportunities for potential members to participate in, one of which is a volunteering event, with multiple options in the area. It provides the students who consider joining the chance to practice the philanthropy aspect of Greek Life early on to determine whether or not SPE is the right fit.
“Once I met all the guys, I just kind of realized that it was where I belong,” said Morrison.
Zac Claude is a first-year student at UMaine who recently joined SigEp. Even as a new member, he understands the value of volunteerism in Greek Life and higher education as a whole.
“If you don’t do it, you’re disconnected from people around you. It grounds you a lot. You’ll feel better if you do it, said Claude. “I think it’s really essential for anyone.”
According to Tissari, this Saturday project alone could have taken several days were it not for the help of SigEp. The team of WTH volunteers are passionate, driven and devoted. However, they are outnumbered by the many tasks that arise in a given week.
For those who are unable or unwilling to contribute physically by the same means as the SigEp brothers, there are plenty of other ways to volunteer. For example, organizational skills could be used to sort smaller items and papers. There is also a need for drivers to pick up donations and/or deliver them.
WTH was recently nominated for the annual Community Matters More campaign through Bangor Savings Bank. The community is invited to vote for their favorite local nonprofit to be rewarded monetary prize of up to $5,000. Voting closes at the end of February. Tissari shared that the funding could be put toward electrical needs at WTH headquarters. In the absence of cell service, volunteers struggle to get in touch with the community and cannot do administrative work for the organization.
“We’re $10,000 short of our solar panel project… Our utility bills are like $900 a month in the coldest months of the year, so we’re hoping to go solar. The other thing is internet. We’re a nonprofit, we really need internet in this building for public safety reasons,” said Tissari. “Sometimes we don’t have a cell phone signal in here.”
UMaine students who are seeking an internship experience could help by creating WTH social media posts for various platforms. Outreach is important for any non-profit organization. Creating and distributing flyers around campus could bring in student volunteers and donations. The coordinators at WTH do not expect students to dedicate a specific amount of time or energy to the cause, and can offer opportunities that work around busy schedules.