Groups headquartered in former school assist less fortunate and

each other

WESTBROOK – The diverse groups finding a home at the old Wescott Junior High on Bridge Street are helping to put the “community” in community center.

The process of filling the center is still ongoing, but those enterprises that have found space there already are complementing what others at the center have to offer.

“You can come here and do six different things in one day,” said Maria Dorn, director of community services.

Visitors to the community center may arrive with one thing in mind, but, Dorn said, it is easy to wander around and discover other interesting tenants.

There is even a program premised on walking the center’s hallways. Of the many senior programs, “Weekday Walkers” provides an opportunity to walk the 575-foot loop inside the building on weekdays between 7:30-9 a.m.

The chance to stumble upon services is a benefit to Westbrook’s needy, as many tenants at the center provide types of assistance. On Dec. 7, the food pantry is moving from the old St. Hyacinth School building on Walker Street into the center. Those seeking food assistance will walk right by the Second Season ReSale Shop, a thrift store offering bargains on clothes, toys, furniture and trinkets for all ages.

“It will be great to be in a building with other things going on,” said Jeanne Rielly, the director of the Westbrook Food Pantry.

She added that a community center was “desperately needed in Westbrook.”

The Center for African Heritage, which aims to promote collaboration and preserve the heritage of African immigrants and refugees, also now occupies space at the center. Its leaders, Dawud Ummah, the president, and Ed Anderson, vice president, are trying to secure some land near the center to start up a community garden.

Ummah, a 54-year-old Gulf War veteran, said he has enjoyed the strong sense of community there, where different voices are welcomed. He hopes to ease the transition for people of the African Diaspora who are now residing in the greater Portland area.

“This is a good opportunity to use this space to come to terms with resettling people without all the harm that usually takes place,” he said.

One difficulty for immigrants, especially those from Africa’s agrarian regions, is adjusting to cultural differences of food. That is one reason Ummah and Anderson want to start up a community garden.

Ummah, who also raises livestock and disagrees with mass-production methods of farming, sees environmental benefits in that plan.

Anderson noted the economic value of organic gardens, saying they will help low-income residents save money by growing food themselves. He said he views it as a way to empower people.

Dorn called their initiative a “natural fit” for the community center. If their community gardens pan out, Dorn said she could see the locally grown food being sold at a farmers market or donated to the food pantry.

“They’ve been a great asset to us,” she said. “We’ve really been able to play off some ideas back and forth.”

The sharing of ideas continues to drive community center growth. Participants in one program can become teachers in another simply through discussions among those who use the center.

An example of that is Jane Herbert, who attends the senior swim program at the Davan Pool. Through conversations with other senior swimmers, she found they had common interests in knitting and quilting. They are now organizing a fiber arts group that meets in the community center.

“This way people aren’t sitting alone at home and doing it. They can come together and talk (while knitting),” Herbert said.

She is now reaching out to other guilds in the area to expand on the exchanging of those skills.

“It’s really nice to have somebody to show you how to do it, and someone to be with,” she said.

The vision of a center where the entire community can come together is moving toward fruition, Dorn said, even if City Hall relocates to the community center.

“It’s going to be a good balance,” she said. “We have something for everyone. We want everybody to have a piece of it.”

Jane Herbert looks for a bargain at the Westbrook Community Center thrift store recently. Staff photo by Joey Cresta