The secret of the success of the Somali community in Maine is really no secret at all.

It is all about community. Thousands of immigrants have been drawn to Maine's second largest city, thanks in part, to the strength of the existing community, and in part, to their deep respect for their new community.

When Down East Executive Art Director Dawna Hilton called with the assignment to document the Lewiston Somali population, I immediately wondered how to quickly make connections within the community.

I spoke with writer Cynthia Anderson who directed me to Fatuma Hussein, the founding director of United Somali Women of Maine. I was crestfallen to learn that she was traveling in Africa and wouldn't return until the day of the assignment deadline.

I turned to Phil Nadeau, who as Deputy City Manager, had just returned from Anaheim, California where Lewiston had been honored by the National Civic League as one of ten communities to win their coveted "All-American City" award.

Nadeau's enthusiasm for Lewiston could barely be contained within his  basement office in Lewiston City Hall. He easily rattled off the  names of many community members who had contributed to the long and arduous application process. The award represented not only the  commitment of local government, but it also represented creative thinking from within the community.

As I worked on this assignment, I could clearly see why the National Civic League had found so much to like about Lewiston. The challenges  brought on by such a large influx of new residents had taxed the city's resources, yet most of the truly creative solutions to their  vexing problems had come from within the community itself.

Kirsten Walter, the founder of the Lots to Gardens non-profit was one  of those offering unique solutions who have had a tremendous impact on the greater community.

Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity Health System, Lots to Gardens, sprung to life as a college project when she was a student at Bates.  The successful program has helped pull together diverse cultures as empty lots and spaces are turned into community gardens. The most visible evidence of Kirsten's work can be seen in the large  children's garden at the very center of the Hillview Public Housing development. It was so gratifying to see smiling children spill from  the apartments the moment Kirsten arrived.

One surprising, and perhaps easily overlooked, benefit of the Lots to Gardens program is the management skills young Somali immigrants are learning as they work with others. I enjoyed watching 17-year-old Filsan Hirsi, as she organized teams of children responsible for watering the tender seedlings. The skills she is developing in these modest gardens will be with her for a lifetime.

With support from the Sisters of Charity Health System, the United Somali Women of Maine has been able to coordinate with the Lots to Gardens program to offer nutrition classes. In documenting part of that program, I went to the Auburn Hannaford supermarket with Sherie Blumenthal as she taught Hinda Abukar, a recent immigrant, how to purchase healthy food in an American grocery store.

We had barely stepped into the store when Blumenthal shared a basic secret of healthy shopping, "Do most of your shopping in the outer ring of the store and you'll be buying healthier food," she said. 

"When you get into the middle aisles you are confronted with more of  the processed foods." I had never noticed that simple concept. The  outer ring is where we find fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products — all of them whole, unprocessed foods!

As she continued through the store I found myself eager to learn more. I laughed as I  realized that every American should be taught how to shop in a  grocery store!

David Rodgers is a contributing photographer to Down East. His work has also been published by the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, US Today, Washington Post, Newsweek and others. He lives in Windham, Maine.
www.motate.com

Read more about the Lewiston Somali community in the September 2007 issue of Down East Magazine.