BANGOR, Maine — Several organizations that support their less fortunate community members gathered in Bangor for an event at the River Church on Center Street.
Each group had a table where they explained the programs available that focus on helping the Bangor area's most underprivileged community members.
Samaritan Inc is a traveling food pantry. They are in urgent need of volunteers that can help sort food boxes for people and carry produce and other food items to help assemble the boxes. The non-profit organization gets healthy food from the Good Shepherd Food Bank, Hannaford, Walmart, and local farms. The traveling food pantry stops by Hermon, Levant, Glenburn, Hampden, Hudson, and Bangor.
For more information on where these distributions happen, you can click here.
Another participating organization was the Greater Bangor Area Street Pastors. The volunteers in this effort provide a listening ear and help to homeless people in Bangor. The Street Pastors are also in need of volunteers. Traning dates will happen on November 7, 9, 11, and 13. For more information on this effort you can call 619-0840 or click here.
Jericho Road hits the Bangor roads with meals, supplies, and clothing. The non-profit organization is always looking for community donations that could enable them to keep supporting homeless people day in and day out.
"Five days a week we have a guy that goes around and does sandwiches, the Jericho Road sandwich man, he goes around and passes those sandwiches, sweatshirts if people need them, just checking on people to make sure they are ok,!" said Mel Coombs, president of Jericho Road.
On Mondays at 5pm, Jericho Road distributes meals for people in need at the Bangor Waterfront.
For more information on the Jericho Road non-profit click here.
Another participating group was First Step Pregnancy Resource Center. The organziation does free STD testing and treatment for women, parenting classes and they also give out free baby supplies for mothers in need.
"We offer free pregnancy testing, free unlimited ultrasounds, options counseling, so if a woman founds herself in a pregnancy and she doesn't know what to do, she can come on in, we will listen to her, share her story, and share with her options and then she can make the decision that's best for her," said Penni Hall, executive director at First Step Pregnancy Resource Center in Bangor.
The River Church in Bangor has more details of each of the participating organizations.