Sentinel The Weekly
Hanukkah 12/18-12/26 Christmas 12/25 Kwanzaa 12/26-1/1
ECRWSS PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID Seacoast Media Group Portsmouth, NH POSTAL CUSTOMER
Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, MOODY, NO. BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SO. BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, December 23, 2022
Volume 18 • Issue No. 51
“Stay; For Life” – Trent’s Tree Remembers WELLS Angela Stevens is the cofounder of “Stay; For Life,” a new local non-profit that was started after the suicide of her 18-year-old son, Trent, in June of 2022. The mission is to save lives by advocating for men’s mental health and suicide prevention. “Stay; For Life” currently is hosting an interactive project for surrounding communities, to help not only spread aware-
ness, but also help ease, the mental and emotional burden so many people struggle with during the holidays. The interactive project is now up and ready for the public. This concept has morphed several times since its inception a few months ago. The idea for Trent’s Tree originally started as a way for family and friends to remember Trent, and to help provide a way to release collective grief. As Angela talked
to more and more people, she realized that almost everyone has been touched by suicide or mental health challenges, in one way or another. Angela invites the public to be part of this project: to add an ornament to Trent’s Tree. Anyone is welcome to stop by and hang an ornament in honor and remembrance of a loved one affected by mental health. No one will come out to greet; the family respects this as a private
acknowledgement. Ornaments can also be mailed to the tree’s location, at 869 Bragdon Rd, Wells, ME 04090. The Stevens’ goal is to have the tree so full of ornaments, that it becomes a spectacle for all to cherish. The family would love to see an outpouring of support from anyone who loved their son Trent, who has cared for someone lost to suicide, or See TRENT on page 15 . . .
York Hockey Team Continues to Help the Community YORK The York High School boys hockey team is known for its volunteerism and community service. In keeping with tradition, the team held their annual collection for Toys for Tots. They have been participating in the Toys for Tots campaign for approximately 19 years. For a few weeks before the York and York Beach Fire Departments held their annual f i l l-a-f i re-t r uck eve nt, t he hockey players placed Toys for Tots drop boxes in local businesses around town, including York High School, York Middle School, and York Housing.
They then attended the fill-afire-truck event held in the York Hannaford parking lot, on Saturday, December 10. This year, the team successfully collected more than 380 items such as toys, books, stuffed animals, and games. York and surrounding towns have many children in need, and the Toys for Tots campaign sees to it that these children and teens have a wonderful Christmas. Experiences such as this show high school students the importance of community service and the positive impact they can make when they help others in-need.
Local Average Tide Chart Date High Low am pm
am pm
Sat 24
11:16 11:59
4:53
5:38
Sun 25
12:10
5:46
6:31
Mon 26
12:54
1:05
6:41
7:24
Tue 27
1:49
2:02
7:38
8:20
Wed 28
2:47
3:02
8:40
9:18
Thu 29
3:46
4:04
9:45
10:18
Fri
4:46
5:09
10:52 11:18
30
Sun Rise Sun Set Sat
24
7:11 4:12
Sun 25
7:11 4:13
Mon 26
7:11 4:14
Tue 27
7:12 4:14
Wed 28
7:12 4:15
Thu 29
7:12 4:16
Fri
7:12 4:16
30
Little Free Pantry a Big Deal in Berwick BERWICK Husband and wife team Kevin and Nikki Leavitt opened the Little Free Pantry in their front yard over a year ago, and the response has been overwhelming so far! The team built the pantry themselves while volunteering at a nonprofit food bank organization called “Gather,” out of Portsmouth, NH, working mostly with the local Meals 4 Kids program that runs through summer vacation. Kevin and Nikki volunteered at Gather’s mobile markets, providing food to area residents in need. Once the summer program had stopped, the couple wanted to continue to do more. So, they decided to build their own pantry, and set it up right by the roadside in the front end of
Arts & Entertainment 11-12
Obituaries
Classifieds
Pets
Calendar of Events 10,25 Dining
29-30
20-21
Home & Business 25-27 Library News
7-9
24-25
People & Business 17,22 Puzzles
Real Estate Sports
16 30
23,31-32
30
PAGES
their yard. Initially, Nikki and Kevin would fill the pantry themselves, stocking it to capacity with nonperishable items and shelfstable cooking and baking ingredients. For the most part, they still do this, although these days there is now an Amazon wish list, and they are always happy to accept any donations. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Little Free Pantry, no matter where they live. The couple gladly accepts donation drop offs, but a donation is not necessary. The pantry has had a lot of success so far, and Kevin and Nikki are planning on expanding the current building as soon as See PANTRY on page 6 . . .
Health & Fitness
A section concerning your health . . .
14-15
Check out the pages on
FINANCE & CAREER 18-19
tech talk Our New Technology Page
13