Giving Voice was the brainchild of Carolyn Russell, an active volunteer in our community. Ms. Russell was concerned that our community didn’t understand the depth of poverty and need, despite the affluence and culture that comes with being a college town. She also thought many in our community were unfamiliar with the safety net organizations and the work we do, or – if they did know about us – had misconceptions about the people we serve and the impact we have. So Giving Voice was born.

The idea was that the four safety net organizations, Oasis Free Clinics, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, The Gathering Place, and Tedford Housing, would write a weekly column for the Times Record highlighting the work we do and the people we serve. I don’t remember how we landed on Giving Voice as the name, but I love it. Each week, we do both: give voice to people in our community who rarely have one and share the stories about how we give to support those who find themselves needing a little extra help.

The word “give” is an interesting one. There are many definitions for such a small word. According to Merriam-Webster, they include:

· To make a present of (give a gift)

· To suffer the loss of: sacrifice (give themselves for their country)

· To apply freely or fully: devote (give themselves to their work)

· The capacity to yield to force or strain: flexibility (the fabric has give but won’t tear)

There are over 10 more meanings, but for me, these capture the intention behind Giving Voice. The safety net organizations exist solely to serve those who need us. Baked into the organizational DNA of each organization is a deep commitment to social justice – a belief that everyone in our community should have enough food to eat, a stable place to live, access to high quality, free health, dental and prescription services, and a safe and welcoming place to gather. That’s why we give.

There is plenty of giving happening at Oasis. Our volunteer providers have been remarkable. Dr. Jeff Maher and Dr. David Inger continue to come into the clinic to check in with staff, fill prescriptions, and call patients. This is in addition to their jobs – which by the way – haven’t slowed down in the face of a pandemic in our community. Yet they make time for our patients (and staff) at Oasis because they understand that the folks we serve are going to be affected by this situation more than most.

Tom White and Andree Appel, our volunteer physician assistants, are doing telephone visits with patients from their homes – something we wouldn’t have imagined two months ago. It keeps them safe and healthy yet connected to work and patients that matter to them. Our wonderful nursing volunteers, Laura Labbe, Patricia Burrell and Cassie Marcisso, have buoyed us with their ever present smiles, can do attitudes, and willingness to tackle any task set before them. Caroline Feely, our volunteer social worker, is doing virtual counseling, helping to figure out how we can use this type of service in the future, perhaps as a way to reduce travel costs for our patients.

We have a patient who is well-known in our clinic for his generosity. A fisherman, he brings in a cooler full of lobsters each summer as a thank you gift for the help we have provided to him over the years. Last week, he called the clinic, saying he had found a box of N95 masks in his garage and wondered if we might need them.

I told him that we would be happy to have them as we didn’t have any. He called me when he got to the parking lot, and I met him outside. He was standing by his car with three dozen roses and the box of masks, a wide grin peeking out from his mask. He told me that when he had called Shaw’s at Cook’s Corner to see if they had flowers available, the manager refused to let him pay when he told her they were for the team at Oasis. I was speechless by this double act of kindness.

The situation we find ourselves in is a peculiar one to be sure. The efforts needed to “flatten the curve” are designed to create distance – not connections — between us. While we are becoming adept at Zoom, we are all grieving the loss of hugs, dinner at a friend’s house, or simply being together. Our worlds have shrunk to the size of a screen or the place we call home (if we are fortunate to have one).

And yet…amazing things are happening that we couldn’t have imagined six weeks ago. My teenagers will go on a walk with me! People have dusted off their sewing machines and have quickly whipped up masks for family, friends, neighbors, and healthcare workers. There have been teddy bear hunts, sidewalk chalk messages, free concerts, anonymous donors buying lunch for food pantry and grocery store staff, and teachers going above and beyond to engage students in this new learning environment.

The list goes on with ways our community has risen to meet the challenges of economic hardships and social isolation. We are trying to make sense of what is happening locally and globally through meaningful actions to help. These are examples of sacrifice, devotion, and flexibility. In a word, giving.

Anita Ruff is the executive director of Oasis Free Clinics. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community.