PARIS — The staff at Maine Veterans’ Home in South Paris, as part of their ongoing Community Involvement Committee, recently took up a collection of toiletries, infant hygiene supplies and personal products for families (toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, brushes, etc.) for the the Norway Family Center in Norway.

The Norway Family Center is a 15-bed emergency shelter for homeless women and children. It is located in a four-bedroom house in a residential neighborhood in Norway. The mission of the shelter program is to provide a safe haven for homeless individuals and families while allowing them the dignity and respect they deserve.

Th center aim to restore hope and give them assurance that someone cares and does this by providing a safe and warm place to sleep at night and offering supportive services to help people move to self-sufficiency and stability.

The program is designed to help homeless individuals and families to help themselves by securing safe and affordable housing, increasing their income by locating employment and helping to resolve the issues that led to homelessness. The shelter and staff offer guests the opportunity to stabilize their immediate crisis, identify the patterns that lead to cycles of homelessness and develop long-term strategies for economic self-sufficiency and breaking the cycle.

Many staff members of Maine Veterans’ Home brought in donations in an effort to give back to the community.