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In one of the last 51С�Ƴ�community events before the coronavirus pandemic struck, 16 students volunteered at an event that raised $2,000 for the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, a place that provides support for people in need.

UNE's Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement joined the Heart of Biddeford this year to host the annual Community Soup-er in downtown Biddeford.

Students volunteered by helping to set up the event, collect donations, and serve soup.

“A lot of restaurants in Biddeford donated soup and it was a way for people in the community to come out to try out something from the different restaurants,” explained Lexi Dyer (Psychology, ’22), one of the student volunteers.

The money raised assured food service for two weeks for community members who use the center.

The students had a goal of continuing the fundraising campaign for Seeds of Hope throughout the spring semester, with the first-year class taking the lead. However, all events had to be cancelled or postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Donald Walk (Medical Biology, ’23) had helped arrange some of the other fundraising events.

“I would like to try to get everything resumed and working again,” he stated. “By volunteering, we try to make a connection between the college and area around it to strengthen that relationship.”

Dyer added, “That is part of why I volunteer, but for me there is this deeper understanding of, ‘if I have the ability to help someone, then why wouldn't I?’”