PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – A few days before Christmas, “elves” from the Crown of Maine chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) delivered toys to the Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter in Presque Isle.
According to Bryan Thompson, chapter president, the organization – and the majority of its members – is located at DFAS Limestone. Formed in 1997, the mission of ASMC is to promote education, training, and professional development to all its members.
“For the past six years, the chapter has adopted the homeless shelter and its transitional housing unit, and gives presents to the children,” said Thompson. “Each year, the staff provides us with the child’s name, their needs and their wishes.”
Bonnie Alley, chairperson of ASMC’s community service committee, said the organization selected the homeless shelter because it was one agency that didn’t seem to be receiving a significant amount of assistance.
“There were other organizations in the county that were already receiving aid, and I looked around and we didn’t see that the homeless shelter was getting much support,” she said. “We saw a need and decided to work with them.”
A giving tree was set up in the DFAS Limestone lobby, and employees and chapter members are encouraged to pick an ornament off the tree and purchase what’s on the ornament.
Volunteers were given about two weeks to shop, and then brought their wrapped packages to work.
This Christmas, the 21 children who live in the shelter’s transitional housing units received gifts.
“They live in the duplexes on the base,” said Susan Mitchell, executive director of Homeless Services of Aroostook. “We have 16 units, and right now 13 of them are full. I call those individual heads of household and ask for their children’s names and ages, what they would need and what they would want.
“Then the chapter members bring us these huge boxes of presents,” she said. “I usually ask the heads of household if they mind if we deliver the presents, because not everyone has transportation. Some people would rather pick them up because they can hide them.”
Mitchell said children’s needs range from clothing, coats and mittens, while wants include Barbie dolls, Bratz and video games.
In addition to the toys, local ASMC members donated food to the shelter, as well as $500 to help alleviate operating costs.
“It’s really wonderful and generous of them to help,” said Mitchell. “They do it for everybody in the transitional housing program, so we do not have to pick and choose which family is more needy because they all are.”
The two-year transitional housing program is designed to help people move from homelessness to being self-sufficient.
“While people are trying to work on paying past debts, doing schoolwork or finding a job,” said Mitchell, “they really don’t have a lot of resources to get some of these extra things. Every child received three or four presents, so the people with ASMC really helped make these kids’ Christmas brighter.
“We really appreciate this group continuing to do this for us,” she said. “Because transitional housing is a two-year program, more often than not, these are not the same families, so the ASMC is helping out a wide array of people. They’re touching more and more families than they realize.”
