AUBURN — Taylor Vachon said Sunday she felt compelled to do something after seeing videotaped assaults last week of two homeless people at an Auburn park.
The videotape, she said, triggered memories of her own experience with homelessness.
Vachon, 18, worked quickly and organized a gathering for the homeless community in the Twin Cities, held Sunday afternoon at Bonney Park in Auburn.
“I saw the video and I saw that everyone was hurting,” Vachon said. “I wanted to have the community come together and just show that we’re here for the homeless community to help them out, because I help them out every day.”
Event organizers Taylor Vachon, right, and Jennifer Hayes, second from right, provide food and clothing Sunday afternoon at Bonney Park in Auburn for the homeless and other struggling people in the area. Others joined in after reading Vachon’s posts on social media, including donating food, clothing, blankets and other items. Addie Bermonty, center, makes friends with another visitor and his dog. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Organizers set up folding tables to hand out bagged sandwiches, crackers, applesauce and lemonade on the patio near the parking lot, as supporters and those with housing difficulties arrived and left with the stream of passing cars.
Vachon, who lives in Auburn and is mother to a 4-month-old son, was left homeless when she, at 14 years old, was kicked out of her house after experiencing conflict with her family.
Vachon’s experience has made her more sensitive to the plight of others, and she has taken it upon herself to extend the kindness she wishes had received during her time of need.
“I had to sleep on a bench or in somebody’s hallway,” she said. “It was really hard. You don’t know what’s gonna happen that night. You don’t know if you’re going to eat or get attacked randomly.
“If they’re sleeping, I leave them a meal. If they’re just chilling, I give them a meal, too. I’ll ask them what they want from the store, or I’ll give them money. I don’t care what they do with the money. That’s their money now.”
Megan Benson, rear, says she wanted to give back and teach her children kindness and compassion Sunday afternoon, after reading about an event in Bonney Park in Auburn, where people gathered to bring food, clothing and other items for the homeless and other struggling residents. She holds a cup for her son, Parker Guiggey, as he pours a glass of lemonade for a “customer,” as his sisters, Louise Benson-Villafane, in purple, and Kennedy Benson-Lee, right, look on. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Two girls, ages 14 and 16, have been charged with aggravated assault, and a 15-year-old boy who videotaped the alleged assaults has been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault related to the video, which circulated widely last week on social media.
Police say the video shows two teenage girls hitting and kicking a homeless woman last Saturday at Moulton Park in Auburn, while the homeless man next to her pleads for the girls to stop.
Auburn police said the attack took place at a skate park.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness said Maine had 2,097 people living with homelessness as of 2020, including many families.
Event organizer Taylor Vachon, right, speaks Sunday afternoon with Michael McNulty at Bonney Park in Auburn, where Vachon and Jennifer Hayes, second from right, brought food and clothing for the homeless and other struggling people in the area. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Information from the Maine Department of Education showed that during the 2018-19 school year, an estimated 2,550 public school students were struggling with homelessness, with 535 living at shelters.
“I saw (Vachon’s) post, and since my children and I were homeless at one point, we wanted to give back,” said Megan Benson, an Auburn resident originally from Minot who, with her children, was giving out homemade lemonade and snacks with her three kids.
Benson said the videotaped assault reflects an ongoing problem with certain parents and the perception of homelessness within the community.
Megan Benson, rear, says she wanted to give back and teach her children kindness and compassion Sunday afternoon, after reading about an event in Bonney Park in Auburn, where people gathered to bring food, clothing and other items for the homeless and other struggling residents. She holds a cup for her son, Parker Guiggey, as he pours a glass of lemonade for a “customer,” as his sisters, Louise Benson-Villafane, in purple, and Kennedy Benson-Lee, right, look on. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
“It is a constant problem in this area and in this park,” she said. “I feel like it’s a teenage problem at this point, with their upbringing, unfortunately. Parents not parenting. Free-range parenting, if you will. Kids need to be raised, and that’s not really happening anymore.
“There is a stigma with homeless people. There is the assumption that they deserve it, and that they’ve brought it upon themselves. Sometimes, it’s a matter of circumstance. Things happen.”
If you or someone you know is in need, please consult the list of shelters in Androscoggin County at www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/county/me-androscoggin.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
