Students spread holiday cheer in downtown Biddeford

University of New England students recently volunteered their time to hang holiday lights in downtown Biddeford and put together care packages with personal care items for those less fortunate.

That event was created through a partnership between the Class of 2023 and Heart of Biddeford, an organization helping to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable downtown for residents, businesses, and visitors.

WMTW News 8 featured the event on its evening newscast.

"It is the first in-person volunteer activity that I have been able to do in a couple of months and I think it is really important for UNE to be involved in the Biddeford community,” Kelsey Moulton (Medical Biology, ’21) told WMTW.

Students gathered in small groups and made their way up and down Main Street for two hours stringing holiday lights on poles.

“This is a way for students and the community to stay connected during COVID-19,” explained Donald Walk (Medical Biology, ’23). “With everything kind of being frozen and stopped, we wanted to find a way for students to interact with each other and still be involved, but in a safe way.”

In a large parking lot, other groups of students came together to load personal care items, such as toothpaste, shampoo, and hair conditioner, into small boxes. The packages will be distributed by Seeds of Hope, a resource center that offers hospitality and support for those in Biddeford and surrounding communities who are struggling.

Sam McReynolds, Ph.D., academic coordinator for the Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement, says it is important to keep student engagement efforts going during these challenging times.

“There are fewer opportunities these days for a wide variety of reasons,” McReynolds stated. “This is one of the first major events that we've had the opportunity to do. But, we do have 150 students in our citizenship class and many of them are doing things in the community. We have been doing more civic engagement remotely and online. There are opportunities out there. We just have to be smart about it.”

Moulton says it is just nice to be out helping others.

“I know a lot of people have been feeling anxious with the election, the racial tension, and the COVID pandemic,” she said. “It’s just a nice feeling to get out and feel like you're doing something good.”