From left, Angela Samperi and Manny Reis from BAAM, participate in the Trunk or Treat at the Gazebo on Oct. 31, in Livermore Falls. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

JAY — Billie Groves, Angela Samperi, Amanda Dion, and Manny Reis make up BAAM, a group of people using their time to aid the community are looking to become a certified non-profit. The name of the group stems from the first initials of each person involved as well as serving as an acronym for “Building Assistance and Awareness in Maine.”

BAAM first formed this past September when the group of friends realized the impact that they could make on the community while working together. With multiple members working in recovery services, BAAM is able to promote their lived and professional experiences with resources. The introduction post on their Facebook page reads: “Whether it’s connecting you with life-saving harm reduction resources, providing clothes, or making sure you and your family have enough to eat, we believe in taking action where it’s needed most.”

The members of BAAM currently volunteer their time for free while working around their day jobs, but they are “always on-call.” They serve the Greater Franklin County community with a variety of needs such as clothing and food insecurity, transportation, and resource connection, though they say they may be willing to offer services to other areas if needed as well.

From left, Amanda Dion, Manny Reis, Billie Groves, and Angela Samperi of BAAM pose for a photo with their collected donations for their free Thanksgiving Dinner event. Submitted photo

Aside from some milage reimbursement for long trips with clients, any money that BAAM receives goes right back into aiding the community. “We’re in the process of becoming a registered non-profit,” Samperi said. She agreed that though the process is long and tedious, it will be more beneficial for the community as grants will be easier to obtain. “Our goal is that six months from now we will be officially non-profit,” she said.

They are also looking for a “home base” for the business to reside. “We’ve already price-checked a couple of places downtown,” Samperi said, referencing Livermore Falls. “But we still have a ways to go.” After becoming a nonprofit and finding a physical location, their next goal is to hire help to be able to do even more for the community.

The big BAAM event that is coming up is their first free Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner will take place in the Community Center in Jay across the street from the St. Rose of Lima Church on Nov. 28 beginning at 10 a.m. and ending “when people leave.” The entrance is on the side of the building facing Church Street where the food pantry is. There will be a free meal, free winter clothing, games, and access to recovery coaches. “Just come eat and get clothes,” Groves said. There will be a variety of sizes for children and adults.

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From left, Billie Groves and Manny Reis attach a BAAM sign to a bottle donation bin outside of Poppy’s Redemption. Submitted photo

“A lot of people are alone,” Samperi said about the holiday season. They hope the event will be “the first of many.” “All are welcome,” BAAM members said.

BAAM is looking for donations of money and food for the free dinner, as well as volunteers to work the event. “We have four volunteers so far, so a total of eight people,” said Samperi. So far they have collected one turkey and one ham, but their goal is to have three or four.

BAAM now has a bottle donation bin at Poppy’s Bottle Redemption. Their bin is beside the Spruce Mountain donations outside of the building. The deposit money for all bottles placed in their bin will go right to BAAM for the Thanksgiving dinner as well as other assistance provided by BAAM.

After the dinner, any leftover food is going to be boxed up and given to those who need it. The members of BAAM said that they will be available at the food pantry to anyone who needs it with no paperwork involved.

BAAM will also be doing a BAAM Blessing program. Similar to the Toys 4 Tots, this program relies on toy donations to supply families with gifts for the holidays.

To learn more, stay updated, or inquire about services, BAAM can be found on Facebook, or reached at aammaineoutreach@gmail.com or (207)300-1026.

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