The Helpers: Supporting Neighbors and Building Community in Maine is a long-term documentary photography project that I launched in October 2025. My first goal for this project is to celebrate people and organizations who are working to strengthen our communities and support our neighbors at a time of polarization and financial distress. My other goal is to make a record of how much work ordinary Americans are taking on to fill the gaps in our (already imperfect) social safety net after months of cuts to federal government programs, staff, and funding. Ultimately, I want viewers of this project to both feel compelled to become volunteers (if they aren’t already) and to think about how resources for essential services are allocated here in Maine and across the United States.
The essential needs that will be covered by this project are:
- Food
- Shelter
- Health
- Security
- Education
- Connection
- Local government
There are two distinct audiences for this project:
- Individuals who may not know about the scope of social services delivered by volunteers and might be interested in getting involved as volunteers in their own communities
- Policy makers and politicians who want to improve the US social safety net.
So far, my work on “The Helpers Project” has taken me to Augusta, Brunswick, Dresden, Portland, Skowhegan, and Topsham. I expect to continue making photographs and collecting stories for the project throughout Maine over the next year.
I will update this site with new photos and background resource materials as the project develops. A contact form will be on this site soon, too. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss anything on this site, have suggestions for folks I should photograph, or want to join my email list for occasional project updates, please contact me at beth [at] bethbandyphoto [dot] com.
Beth Bandy
Richmond, Maine