Saint James School in Biddeford collects hundreds of items to help refugee families in Maine

Giving families a fresh start! This month, Saint James School students collected about 500 items heading to refugee families through Catholic Charities Maine. It was part of the school’s S.A.F.E. (service, academics, faith, and excellence) mission to help the community. Donation items focused on providing families “a place to freshen up” including bathing and hygiene items and giving families “a clean start” to keep their homes safe and clean. 

The donated items include digital thermometers, first aid kits, band-aids, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, shower curtains, shower liners, bathmats, laundry baskets, dishwashing soap, detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, sponges, lightbulbs, batteries, etc. They also collected a $150 monetary donation for Catholic Charities Maine.

Every month, Saint James School students participate in “Casual for a Cause” collecting donations for community charities. The school has collected items and donations for groups including Grammie Rose's Dog Sanctuary, Ronald McDonald House and Barbara Bush Children's Hospital Toy Drive. In the 2022-2023 school year, the school donated over $8,000 to various charities.

“Collecting items for the community every month is a very important lesson in teaching our students how to care for their neighbors. Our students enjoy being involved in the process and ultimately, they walk away knowing they made a difference in their community and they can always look for ways to help in any situation,” St. James Schol Principal Nancy Naimey said.  

Saint James is a Catholic school in Biddeford within Good Shepherd Parish committed to fostering spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth in a S.A.F.E. and collaborative family environment while empowering students of all faiths to be creative, to think critically, to act responsibly, and to serve with integrity. The school serves 180 students from pre-K through 8th grade.

Saint James School was founded in 1992, by combining three local Catholic schools into one: Saint Joseph's, Saint Andre's and Saint Mary's. The first letter of each school was used to create the name James and honors Saint James the Great.