GARDINER — Teenagers came from all over central Maine for a prom dress giveaway Sunday at Gardiner Area High School.

A group of volunteers transformed the GAHS cafeteria into a bustling boutique for the event, displaying more than 1,000 dresses in every color, style and size. Maine high school students could select a dress for free.

The Cinderella Project of Maine, an initiative of Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast, organizes these giveaways annually in Belfast and Gardiner, and this year had an event in Presque Isle, too.

Meg Gipson, who organizes the Gardiner event, said no questions are asked of anyone who shows up wanting a gown. The only stipulation, according to the project’s website, is that everyone who receives a dress must promise to pay the favor forward in their own community.

The goal is to uplift teenagers and remove some of the stress from prom season, said Allison Harrell, the Waldo CAP coordinator for the Cinderella Project.

Rebecca Johnson, a 16-year-old student at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, models a gown Sunday for her mother, Carrie, seated right, and sister, Charlotte, seated left, during a prom dress giveaway at Gardiner Area High School. The event is organized by the Cinderella Project of Maine, an initiative of Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast. About 1,000 prom dresses and gowns — sized and displayed on racks — were offered at no cost to Maine teenagers. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Harrell said new prom dresses can go for up to $500. This can put undue financial pressure on families, she said, to splurge on an outfit their child might only wear one night.

Shopping itself can be stressful, too. Many teens struggle with a lack of self-esteem, Harrell said, and need a great deal of encouragement to overcome the “uncomfortable emotions” that accompany trying on dress after dress while family and friends look on and comment. For plus-sized students, Harrell said there is often an added concern that trendy styles may not be available in their size.

For this year, Harrell said the project focused in particular on increasing their range of sizes, so every student leaves with a dress in which the student feels confident.

The initiative this year received more than 1,000 dresses from individuals and area businesses for the Gardiner event, and Harrell estimated there will be more than 2,000 gowns available later this month in Belfast.

“I have seen so many kids leave feeling amazing,” said Gipson, who is also an art teacher at the Gardiner Area High School.

Lyla Tootill, left, of Winslow High School shares a mirror Sunday with Kaia Trask during a prom dress giveaway at Gardiner Area High School. The event is organized by the Cinderella Project of Maine, an initiative of Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast. About 1,000 prom dresses and gowns — sized and displayed on racks — were offered at no cost to Maine teenagers. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Gipson said she first got involved with the project to destigmatize shopping for secondhand clothing. But while many of the dresses had been worn before being donated, Gipson said about half the gowns are unused.

Sydney Dayken, an 18-year-old student at GAHS, said she was skeptical when she first learned at school of the prom dress giveaway.

“How good can they be?” she wondered of the hundreds of dresses handed out each year for free.

Dayken decided to try the gown giveaway Sunday, ahead of her senior prom in May, and said she was happily surprised at the range of dresses and how “cute” they were.

Dayken pulled out one dress — a gorgeous, green chiffon number — that still had the price tag attached. She said it would normally cost $200.

Natania Lilly, 17, of Winslow High School is assisted Sunday by her cousin, Vanessa Wilson, as Lilly tries on a gown during a prom dress giveaway at Gardiner Area High School. The event is organized by the Cinderella Project of Maine, an initiative of Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast. About 1,000 prom dresses and gowns — sized and displayed on racks — were offered at no cost to Maine teenagers. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Another shopper, Kaia Trask, said she got dresses from the Gardiner gown giveaways for three years while she was in high school. On Sunday, she was helping to outfit her brother’s girlfriend, Lyla Tootill, 18, for her prom at Winslow High School.

Trask said the prom dress giveaway alleviated the pressure on her each year to find a new dress.

“We’ve been blown away,” Trask’s mother, Cami Hippler, said. “You can pick what you want without worrying about the price tag.”

Tootill described the atmosphere at the dress giveaway as amazing. After sifting through the racks of glittering clothes, teens choose two dresses at a time to take to the dressing rooms. They could then strut their stuff on a catwalk — in front of loved ones — and make a decision.

“Everyone is so nice,” Tootill said. “Everyone keeps complimenting everyone.”

Leandra Gilbert, left, a 16-year-old student at Gardiner Area High School, and Taylor Hodgkins, back to camera, model prom dresses Sunday for family members and friends during a prom dress giveaway at GAHS. The event is organized by the Cinderella Project of Maine, an initiative of Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast. About 1,000 prom dresses and gowns — sized and displayed on racks — were offered at no cost to Maine teenagers. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

By 11 a.m., 50 teens had stopped by the event. Rebecca Johnson, 16, learned of the giveaway from Facebook and came from Union — about a 30-mile drive — with her mother and sisters in search of “the dress.”

Johnson’s mother, Carrie, said they were thrilled to learn of the opportunity because the only options for prom dress shopping where they live are at expensive bridal boutiques in Rockport or online.

After a bit of browsing, Johnson headed to the dressing rooms with her chosen dresses. With palpable nerves, she then stepped onto the catwalk in a white ballgown embroidered with small, blue flowers. Johnson looked into the mirror and her face lit up.

She then turned to her parents, who were watching with slack jaws and clasped hands.

“Cinderella!” her mother said, with a delighted gasp.

The Cinderella Project has scheduled a by-appointment-only prom dress giveaway for April 14 and 15 in Belfast. Details can be found at the organization’s Facebook page or on the Waldo CAP website.

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