BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Locals came out to Coe Park Saturday to enjoy the sunny weather, community fun, and receive direct access to resourceful organizations.
The Coe Park Celebration comes from a collaboration between Food AND Medicine, the Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center, and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness.
What is the purpose of the event?
“Putting two things together, it’s having fun and games and good and it’s free to the community, it’s a really neat thing to be a part of,” comments Food AND Medicine Executive Director Jack McKay. “The other thing that we’re doing is bringing resources to the community.”
What resources were available?
Organizers say there were about 20 to 30 nonprofits and community organizations to provide resources in employment, health, wellness, housing and more.
McKay explains that resource fairs like these are a one-stop shop for people looking for support: “You know, there’s a lot of resources for people, but you have to go online, you have to fill out forms or wait on the phone, and what’s really different about the way that we’re doing it is you get to talk to people! You know, you can bring up your issues and talk through solutions face to face, person to person, and that’s just wholly different.”
Why is community building important?
While building community between neighbors is important, Together Place Executive Director Amy Roeder says creating community between local organizations is vital as well.
“It’s just building this beautiful web so that nobody falls through the cracks so that nobody feels unsupported, so that nobody feels at a loss,” remarks Roeder.
What is the significance of Coe Park?
This neighborhood celebration and resource fair has happened at other Bangor parks in the years before, but organizers say choosing Coe Park as the venue this year holds its own significance.
“The reason in particular that we try to host this event here in this park is because this part of Bangor historically has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the state. And so there’s a lot of need for community, there’s a lot of need for support and resources here,” explains Jackson Peck, a community organizer for Food AND Medicine.
Is this event a one-time occurrence?
McKay describes that the Coe Park Celebration is not a one-off event, but rather a piece of a larger multi-month project between Food AND Medicine, Together Place, and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness to ensure resources are readily available for community members who seek them.
These efforts include community clean-ups with Wabanaki Public Health, monthly resource fairs at Together Place, as well as community gardens, including one right in Coe Park.
How can residents get involved?
Getting residents involved in these projects is key, Peck says: “The more we can do to get folks to take ownership of this park, to really celebrate their community together and to build relationships with their neighbors, the more we can do to try to, you know, stave off some of those things that are really impacting a lot of folks right now.”
What else was offered at the event?
Even if you are not looking for resources, the event still offered plenty of ways to have some fun in the sun.
Free lunch was provided to all who attended, live music created the perfect atmosphere, and kids’ activities made it so there was a little something for everyone!
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