News

News about Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center

Recent Press Releases:

HIRE LOCAL! effort underway
HIRE LOCAL! is a grass-roots effort sponsored by a number of community organizations to foster employment of local residents in the Biddeford/Saco area, as a logical extension of the BUY LOCAL movement already underway within the community.


                        October 27, 2010 -- Biddeford, ME

Today, sitting at the computers in the Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center near Biddeford’s downtown, are several laid-off workers, using the Center’s Internet access to seek work anywhere from Portland to New Hampshire and beyond. These local workers were laid-off because their local employers relocated overseas or shut down, and now they are faced with having to seek work outside of their community. Biddeford’s displaced workers are a part of a national trend, yet it hits us directly when the people affected are in our own communities.   It's a problem that staff from the Town of Biddeford, the Biddeford/Saco Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill Workforce Solutions and the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center met recently to discuss.

"Residents in the Biddeford area have a higher than average unemployment rate, and yet jobs are available in the Biddeford area," said Steve Carpenter, Coordinator of the Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center at 35 South Street in Biddeford. "To help with the overall community's economic well-being, we are launching 'HIRE LOCAL!' to make it easier for people in the Biddeford area to find and capture jobs in their own community.   "We have an active 'BUY LOCAL' organization in the Biddeford/Saco area that is championing the notion that buying locally is good for community economic development. We are taking those ideas to the next level. Hiring a local resident contributes more to the local economy than hiring someone from outside the local area."

"First, a local resident lives in the same area the local business serves and is more likely to do business locally. Second, a local resident with a good job is far more likely to support local businesses than one that is unemployed or under-employed. Third, a local employee is more able to show up to work when their car breaks down or the weather is bad. Fourth, local employees encourage other local residents to come in and 'Buy Local' from their employers. These are just a few reasons 'HIRE LOCAL!' is just the other side of the 'BUY LOCAL' coin," said Steve. "If you believe in 'BUY LOCAL' you will believe in 'HIRE LOCAL!'

There are other benefits to 'HIRE LOCAL!' that are unique to the Biddeford area. "Many of the people who are looking for work in this area possess an outstanding work-ethic, and as a result of the layoffs due to overseas job displacements, many also have Federal benefits that are paying for schooling, computer training and even an on-the-job training benefit that effectively cuts the cost of training a new employee in half," stated Richard Fifield, manager of the local Goodwill Workforce Solutions Center in Biddeford.

Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center and the other ‘HIRE LOCAL!’ partners recognize employer expectations and the skills required for employment have changed a lot since many of its clients were last seeking work. So, besides helping with job search preparation, ‘HIRE LOCAL!’ community partners such as the McArthur Public Library in Biddeford also work with clients to develop the skills they will need on the job, such as the ability to use computer applications and the Internet effectively.   “We are working together to step up to these expectations and capture local jobs. The Center sees clients everyday helping each other and finding ways to better their potential for employment,” stated Biddeford’s Community Development Coordinator, Linda Hardacker.

A significant component of the ‘HIRE LOCAL!’ effort includes reaching out to local businesses to include them in the partnership, not only to learn what jobs are open and post them through the Center but to directly involve local businesses in steering the efforts of the Center in improving the readiness of local workers. “If local businesspeople also helped in activities such as interview preparation, they would get a chance to know some of the individuals beforehand as well as help out in our efforts to prepare local workers for local jobs,” added Steve.

Shirley Bowen, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church and Director of the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center also said, "Hiring local employees not only supports community economic well-being but is a humanitarian act. We certainly see the results in our center of the pain caused by the mass layoffs of the local manufacturing firms that have relocated overseas or gone out of business. Those who use our services have already suffered from the displacement of local businesses and are trying to support families and keep homes on unemployment benefits or jobs offering little more than minimum wage."

Seeds of Hope’s Career Resource Center is funded with HUD – Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) funds from the Biddeford’s Entitlement award. The City’s Community Development Coordinator, Linda Hardacker, closely monitors the City’s programs for compliance with federal regulations and success. “This program has contributed greatly to the efforts and morale of those in Biddeford looking for employment. With the generous donation of space and administrative help from Christ Episcopal Church and Steve Carpenter’s dedicated support and work, people are discovering new talents, improving skills and finding employment,” said Linda.

Steve Carpenter is hoping that through raising awareness about ‘HIRE LOCAL!’ effort, through compiling and listing local jobs, sponsoring employer round-tables, job fairs and job readiness training, that businesses in and around Biddeford will appreciate the quality of the local workers and their dedication to skill development and workplace readiness. Then when it comes time to add or replace employees, local businesses will ‘HIRE LOCAL!’   In coordination with Biddeford’s CDBG Program, the Center intends to formally recognize businesses that ‘HIRE LOCAL!’.

For more information on the Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center or the “HIRE LOCAL!’ Program, please contact: Steve Carpenter, Coordinator at Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center at 207-571-9601 or 207-289-4579; you can E-mail Steve at steve.carpenter.seedsofhope@gmail.com.

- 30 -

Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center is conveniently located at 35 South Street, near downtown Biddeford, the Neighborhood Center is open for drop-ins from 9am to 1pm, Tuesday through Friday and on the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 4pm to 7pm. Within these drop in hours, Seeds of Hope offers its Career Resource Center to provide job seekers help in: applying for jobless benefits, developing a job plan, creating a resume, using the Internet to search for jobs, filling out online applications, and doing well on the interview. For more information about Seeds of Hope's Career Resource Center see http://seedsofhope4me.org/CareerCenter.aspx

The Town of Biddeford sponsors the Seeds of Hope Career Resource Center through Community Development Block Grant funds aimed at helping Biddeford residents prepare for and get better paying jobs. For more information about the Town of Biddeford and its programs see http://www.biddefordmaine.org/ .

Goodwill Workforce Solutions is a division of Goodwill Industries administering several government grants supporting re-training people who have been laid off and are trying to reenter the workforce. The local office is at Park One Eleven, 407 Alfred Rd, Suite 102, Biddeford, ME. For more information see http://www.goodwillnne.org/programs/workforce-solutions.php .

'BUY LOCAL' is the slogan of the The American Independent Business Alliance (AMBIA). AMIBA is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities and independent business thrive Their organizing models and assistance are designed to help prevent the displacement of local independent businesses, ensure ongoing opportunities for entrepreneurs, and advance citizen engagement in community social, cultural and economic well-being. For more information see http://www.amiba.net/ .