WESTBROOK – Westbrook’s My Place Teen Center has seen an unprecedented surge in daily attendance and meals served this year.
A quick look at the numbers, said Donna Dwyer, the executive director, shows that the center is on track to serve more than 17,000 meals this year, up from 14,000 in 2013. That’s 50-70 meals per day, up from 35-40 last year. The center’s weekly regional supper on Wednesday has averaged 150 meals.
“We don’t know why the marked increase or its consistency,” she said this week. “On one hand, it’s great, but on the other, it points out the dire justification for further assistance.”
Last Thursday, a few days before Dwyer accepted the 2014 “Agency of Distinction” award from WCSH-6 and the United Way on behalf of the teen center, Dwyer said that while My Place Teen Center is doing good work for a rising number of area teens, the organization is faced with very real financial concerns.
“We have approximately enough funds to operate through mid-January in a very bare-bones way, with no specialized programming,” she said, adding that the organization’s program has doubled, while funds have decreased.
Dwyer said the only secured funds for this year are $50,500 from the Greater Portland United Way and $25,000 from the city of Westbrook – an amount representing half of the city funding once given to the center. She said the rest must be raised through grants, special events, individual gifts, and “corporate benevolence.”
In July, the organization was forced to let go its full-time facility coordinator.
Dwyer said the position was responsible for the maintenance of the building and the food program, and that a few weeks ago, out of “critical need,” she hired someone for 20 hours a week. But, she said, “this is not sustainable given our current funding situation.”
City Administator Jerre Bryant said Wednesday that although city funding to the center is less than last year, the organization is still the largest benefactor of city contributions to a civil service agency. Bryant said that in the last few years, a committee of residents involved in a number of agencies was formed in order to rate agencies on the level of services they provide to Westbrook.
“Through that process, the number to My Place has come down some, but it is still the largest single contribution we make,” he said.
Joining Dwyer at the center last Thursday were Westbrook city councilors Mike Sanphy and Paul Emery, and advisory board members Deb Shangraw and Phil Spiller Jr.
“It’s not too often that there are significant, public wins in our day-to-day, so being acknowledged in this way is something very special,” Dwyer said about the award, which is given out annually to a regional nonprofit organization.
For food preparation at the center, a group of volunteers puts out dozens of meals within a kitchen that was designed for a private church, renovation needs that cause a separate concern for fundraising for Dwyer and her staff.
“Food is not the issue,” she said. “Production is.”
Thursday night’s menu – barbecue spareribs, rice pilaf, green beans and garlic bread – was almost ready as kids began sitting down at tables.
Shangraw, also the owner of Emerald Management, just across the street, said Wednesday that as part of her new role as a member of the center’s advisory council, she has been trying to bring city councilors into the center to see the work that’s being done.
“It’s hard to know all that takes place educationally and nutritionally, and on the personal side of things,” she said. “I personally want them to see what’s going on there, and the challenges they’re facing.”
Shangraw, who says she considers herself a citizen activist, said that while she understands how difficult the budget process is for city officials, the teen center has outgrown its funding needs of the past.
Emery agrees.
“This is the most vulnerable age group possible,” he said Thursday. “We need to find ways to support them.”
Sanphy said that he believes that there might be misconceptions in the community surrounding what the teen center accomplishes.
“I think some people think it’s just a hangout for kids, and they might not see what it actually does for the community as a whole,” he said.
Dwyer said the organization is still seeking $300,000 to complete its renovation needs, which include the kitchen and dining area inside, and siding and insulation outside.
Dwyer said the advisory council, which is relatively new, has been consulting with a “major gifts planner,” whose role is to work with the council regarding what major gifts will go toward supporting.
“It’s a constant source of anxiety for me,” Dwyer said Thursday, adding that she writes about 55 grants per year for the center. “Right now we are waiting to hear on about 20 of them.”
Discussing challenges facing My Place Teen Center are, from left, City Councilor Mike Sanphy, Executive Director Donna Dwyer, advisory council member Deb Shangraw and City Councilor Paul Emery. Send questions/comments to the editors.
