BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter recently received a grant from the Maine State Housing Association to renovate its kitchen. But the shelter put out a call to the community to ask for assistance to keep providing meals during the two-week renovation.
The project began on Oct. 18 and is now expected to be completed by Thursday.
Several worship groups, local businesses, and individuals volunteered to provide meals for a lunch or dinner shift. One of those volunteers is the Dias family from Old Town. Melanie Dias and her daughters, Amy and Becky, saw the shelter's post on Facebook and quickly volunteered to help.
"We're in a time where everyone needs help. Saying you're above someone or that you can't give a little extra is just silly. Everyone needs help, the economy is awful, we're all suffering through a pandemic, so the way that we can get through things is really just helping each other," Amy Dias said.
The lunch menu planned by the Dias' consisted of crockpot chicken and gravy with toast, macaroni salad, and some desserts and extra treats. They prepared roughly 30 meals to then deliver to the shelter for lunch Wednesday.
Amy Dias shares a personal connection to giving back to her community, having once experienced homelessness herself. Ten years ago, Amy and her newborn son were homeless. Melanie said her daughter was trapped in a controlling relationship and not allowed to have any contact with her family.
Melanie said she did all she could to try and help her daughter during that time.
"She didn't have shoes. I remember ... that was a tough time ... so we had to meet secretly to get her shoes," Melanie Dias said.
After two years, Amy was able to get out of her situation and be reunited with her family for good. The Dias family now gives back however it can.
"My motto has always been if it's important to you, you'll find the time for it," Melanie Dias said.