Community initiative aims to better Biddeford

A community initiative is striving to make Biddeford a better place.

It all started about a year ago, when Carolyn Schmidtke had a table at the Spring Pollinator Festival in Rotary Park, with a sign up sheet for people interested in attending community salons. She then started tabling at the third Friday ArtWalks, and putting notices on bulletin boards – “super old-school” to get the word out to those interested in gathering and addressing local topics. The response was great, and she decided to increase her reach by using social media as well.

After generating interest, Schmidtke began hosting monthly salons through a community outreach effort she calls “Better Biddeford.”

“I want the salons to be a collaborative gathering that connects and empowers people to effect positive changes in their communities,” she said.

The Better Biddeford salons are held at the Pint and Pawn at 28 Pearl St. at 6 p.m. on the first and  third Wednesday of the month. They are free and open to everyone. No need to sign up – just show up. 

The upcoming salon on May 15 will be an exception to the typical location, and will be a collaboration with the Maine Black Chamber of Commerce from 6-7:30 p.m. at Orange Bike Brewing Co in Portland. Discussion will be centered on financial challenges facing Black business owners in Maine. 

Topics at past salons have included the unhoused population, food insecurity and Age Friendly Biddeford.

The salons are not just about talking, they’re also about putting action plans into place around discussions. For example, a recent salon about hunger insecurity brought up the need for a food pantry in the UNE community, and Schmidtke is currently networking with others to address this need.

“I often describe Better Biddeford as a community engagement initiative that works to connect people with each other and resources, but it has grown into more than that,” said Schmidtke. “I meet regularly with City Councilors (and occasionally City staff), non-profits, and residents to better understand the changing needs of our community and to best advocate for vulnerable populations.

The night after the Lewiston shootings, Schmidtke organized a gathering for people who wanted a safe space to talk. As a result of discussions that night, a “Friendsgiving,” with less than a week of planning, was held and raised $1400 for victims’ families.

“It was a real community effort. It really came together, and it was wonderful,” she said.

Schmidtke moved to Biddeford in November 2019 from the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. She wanted to be closer to family members living in the Portland area, and found Biddeford an affordable option. It didn’t take long for her to become entrenched in the community.

“Biddeford is an amazing place. I started showing up to City Council meetings, and people started recognizing me. The accessibility of the government here is incredible,” said Schmidtke.

She said she’s found city councilors really care about the city, and are open to hearing ideas from constituents.

“I feel very fortunate. I have never felt this sense of community, and I’ve lived a lot of different places,” she said.

For more information on Better Biddeford, email betterbiddeford@gmail.com.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.