Cally's Site

By Cally Gudroe From left: Christine, Carmen Gawronski, and Dorothy—coordinators, board members, and long-time volunteers. PHOTO BY CALLY GUDROE In the Church Hall of Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco, Maine, the smell of home-cooked food drifts through the air every Monday and Thursday afternoon. The sound of laughter mixes with the clatter of dishes as volunteers bustle between tables, serving steaming plates of food with a smile. For many guests, this warm, welcoming space is much more than a free meal, it’s a community. And for Carmen Gawronski, it’s deeply personal. “I got started in 2016, when I moved back to Maine to take care of my mom,” she…

By Cally Gudroe, Community News Fellow at Saco Bay News Lincoln Paquet is a 15-year-old dancer from Biddeford who specializes in breakdancing and power moves. PHOTO BY CALLY GUDROE The first time Lincoln Paquet flipped backward, he landed flat on his head. There was no coach, no mat, and no hesitation, just a twin mattress on the living room floor and a little sibling competition. His sister was trying to master a back handspring when Lincoln, unwilling to be outdone, decided to try it himself. “I just jumped back,” he said, laughing. “And I was like, okay, that’s not bad.” That fearless leap—equal parts curiosity and determination—has defined the 15-year-old…