Lewiston, Maine has "day of kindness" following mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine - One week after the mass shooting that killed 18 people and wounded more than a dozen, Lewiston, Maine's city administrator launched an official "day of kindness" in the city.
"You can be with your family, your friends, strangers, coworkers, anyone you see," City Administrator Heather Hunter said.
Part of the inspiration was to let victims and their families "know that some good has come out of this incident for our community and [give] everybody a chance to remember and uplift the community as a whole."
Residents were encouraged to do small acts of kindness for anyone in the community all day.
At Blue Jay's Coffee in downtown Lewiston, some customers paid it forward by purchasing coffee for the people in line behind them. It's "a normal thing I would say around here for people to come and engage in those acts of kindness, but it is nice to have a day where people recognize it," owner Jenna Guiggey told WBZ.
Down the street at Rogue Life Maine, blue shirts and hats that say "Lewiston Strong" were flying off the shelves. The clothing company has been Lewiston-based since 1969, and as of Wednesday afternoon, had made more than $150,000 in donations for the Victims' Fund.
"It's one of those things where we are going to be known for this and it's not a great thing to be known for, but you know, what are you going to do?" Rouge Life Maine owner Mark Rodrigue said. "This is where we are, and this is what happened. It's tragedy, but it brings Lewiston Maine to the forefront in kind of an unsettling light, but we are a great community."
The city administrator hopes to make Acts of Kindness and Gratitude Day an annual event.
