DEAR SUN SPOTS: Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin has 25 people waiting for a one-on-one tutor to help them with their education. Many of these adults need to improve their academic skills in order to obtain work or get a better job. This service can literally be life-changing. If you are age 21 or older, have at least a 12th-grade reading level, are patient, organized, and a good listener, you can be a Literacy Volunteer tutor. Our Tutor Training Workshop will be held Oct. 3 and 4 from  9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College. Registration is required.

For information, call 753-6658 or email literacy@literacyvolunteersandro.org. Details can also be found on our website at Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin | Home . We’ve found some of our best tutors through Sun Spots. — Tahlia, director of Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin, no town

ANSWER: Literacy Volunteers are requested to make a once-a-week commitment for a year. There are three types of volunteering you can explore that include basic or family tutoring or becoming an English conversation partner. As a volunteer, you meet your assigned person in a public space such as a library. This is a very enriching experience for the tutor and the student where both parties learn and grow. Think of the difference you could make in someone’s life by helping them read, learn English, and be an encourager.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Trinity Jubilee Center at 247 Bates St. in Lewiston  is in need of soup kitchen volunteers to help prepare, serve and clean up at their Saturday morning meals. Please email trinitylewiston@gmail.com if you are available to help.

Donations of backpacks, steel-toed shoes or boots, shampoo and soap are also needed for the center’s homeless patrons. A complete list of needed items is available at www.trinityjubileecenter.org. Items may be dropped off at the center, or at the Auburn United Methodist Church, 439 Park Avenue in Auburn.

The High Street Food Pantry also has ongoing needs for the following items: peanut butter, canned vegetables, soup and other canned goods such as pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, Spaghetti-o’s, etc.) meats and fruit, dry cereal, baking items such as mixes, sugar, flour, etc., dry soups, crackers, and toilet paper. Thank you  for supporting this mission and helping local people meet their most basic needs. Please drop off your donations at the Auburn United Methodist Church or contact the church office at 782-3972.— George, no town

ANSWER: Food insecurity is very real, Sun Spots readers, and it only takes a bit of effort and a few dollars to contribute in a way that brings relief to someone else’s life. Donating a few dollars’ worth of canned goods or sending a small financial donation can keep someone from going hungry.

Everyday essentials as well as clothing and shoes are also something everyone should have access to. We all need a hand from time to time and if everyone helped support one food pantry or shelter by purchasing and delivering a few items each month, it would be amazing. I gently challenge all Sun Spots readers to seek out how to help and follow through.

Also, if you are employed by, or volunteer for a nonprofit that has needs, please send a letter to Sun Spots and I’ll get the word out!

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name. We won’t use it if you ask us not to. Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

 

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