Transportation

If so, we ask that you walk, bike, or use other personal means of transportation to travel to your site. One mile from the center of campus is roughly a 15-20 minute walk or a 5-minute bike ride. Common sites within one mile of campus include Kate Furbish Elementary School, Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick Jr. High School, and Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. 

Are there exceptions to this policy?

Of course! If you have temporary or long-term accessibility concerns that prevent you from walking or biking comfortably in this range, please contact Megan Birnbaum (mbirnbau@cnof86.com) in the McKeen Center and we will make alternative arrangements with you!

In instances of prohibitively poor weather, students may request a taxi voucher for travel to sites close to campus. Prohibitively poor weather is loosely defined as any of the following: a downpour or driving snowstorm; hazardous sidewalks; temperature (or wind chill) below 15° F.

I’m interested in biking, but I don’t have a bike.

A bike can be a great time saver, if you know how to ride. Members of the student-run Yellow Bike Club are loaned safe bikes for use outside winter months. Look up the club on CampusGroups to ask about current status. It may be worth asking around among friends whether anyone can lend you a bike or vehicle (if you have a driver’s license).

This includes parts of Brunswick as well as the towns of Freeport, Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoinham, and Bath. Common sites more than a mile but less than ten miles from campus include Bowdoinham Community School, Bowdoin Central School, Brunswick High School, Midcoast Hospital, and Mt. Ararat Middle School. 

For these sites, you are welcome to bike, but you are also welcome to explore these other options (in preferred order):

Personal Vehicle – You are welcome to drive yourself and other volunteers to sites in your personal vehicle. The McKeen Center will reimburse you for travel to/from volunteer sites at the Bowdoin student rate of $0.25/mile. You should track your mileage and give it to Megan Birnbaum (mbirnbau@cnof86.com) once or twice per semester for reimbursement.

Brunswick Link Bus – If you are working at sites like Oasis Free Clinic, Midcoast Hospital, Parkview Hospital, or sites in Cooks Corner you are encouraged to use this great mode of public transit! Check the Link Bus map and schedule and hold onto your receipt – we are happy to reimburse you for your bus tickets. Link has a stop at Brunswick Station, just a 5-minute walk from campus.

Taxi Voucher – If you know your schedule in advance, you can get a taxi voucher from the McKeen Center and schedule a Brunswick Taxi to and from your site. This tends to be the most time-consuming transit option (taxis can be unreliable schedule-wise). You should come to the McKeen Center in Banister Hall to get a taxi voucher from us at least one day prior to your volunteering. Please tell the McKeen staff member which volunteer group or program you are working with or if this is independent volunteering. They will give you a taxi voucher, you can then call Brunswick Taxi to schedule the travel, and you will give the voucher to Brunswick taxi at the time of travel.

Bowdoin Fleet Car or Van – If you are traveling with a group of students and one of you is a Bowdoin van-certified driver, they can reserve a Bowdoin fleet vehicle and you can all carpool to the site together. More instructions on that are in the last section regarding sites 10 or more miles away.

I may be volunteering with friends – am I allowed to carpool to save time, money, and the environment?
Of course – we strongly encourage you to carpool with personal vehicles, taxis, or Bowdoin vehicles! Doing this allows the McKeen Center to support more student volunteers and lessens our carbon footprint by putting fewer vehicles on the road. Then, only one of you needs to be reimbursed by the McKeen Center or get a vehicle or taxi scheduled (though taxi vouchers for each student would still be required). Win! Win! Win!

If so, you are welcome to use your personal vehicle (or carpool with a friend in their vehicle) and be reimbursed for mileage (see previous section for more detail). Other options are listed below and we recommend you talk with a McKeen Center staff member about them or alternative arrangements:

Metro BREEZ Bus: Heading to Portland and love public transit? The Metro BREEZ bus is a regional transportation bus that goes down to Portland and has a stop just steps off campus. Check out the BREEZ map and schedule. The McKeen Center is happy to reimburse you for bus passes to get to and from volunteering sites.

Bowdoin Fleet Car or Van: If you have had a valid license for at least one year, you can be trained as a Bowdoin van-certified driver and reserve a Bowdoin vehicle (ranging from a small Prius up to a 12-passenger van!) to get you to/from volunteer opportunities. Check out the Certified Driver Process to learn how to get approved and start the process. The McKeen Center can also help you with your final certification drive. If you are already certified, you should reach out to McKeen Center staff for the project code needed to reserve a vehicle once you know your schedule; you can then bring your Authorization to Drive form to the McKeen Center to be signed by one of us here. We encourage you to consider carpooling to sites too!