NEWS & UPDATES
Portland picnic aims to combat food insecurity
PORTLAND, Maine – Deering Oaks park was buzzing Thursday with the playful chatter of about 150 children and their parents, who showed up to enjoy a free collaborative picnic that aimed to nourish bodies and minds and combat a growing problem in Maine: food insecurity. According to several the organizers of the event, including Donna
Free summer lunch program expanded in Portland
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Many low income families rely on free or reduced cost lunches for their kids during the school year. When the school year ends, those kids are at risk of going hungry. An event was held at Deering Oaks Park to let families know that this year there are 18 locations
Rainout of Taste of the Nation fundraiser costly to Maine anti-hunger programs
… At Portland’s Preble Street Teen Center, the event typically has raised $11,000 to $19,000 for meals, said Elena Schmidt, chief development officer for Preble Street. The total budget for the teen center’s soup kitchen is about $97,000, she said … Read more.
Homeless advocates sit out to raise awareness
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Homelessness Advocates are using the extra hours of sunlight at this time of year to raise awareness in Portland. Friday marks the 8th annual Longest Day of Homelessness Summer Solstice and advocates and community members are holding the sit out at Post Office Park Many of the advocates have been
Portland 'Sit In' Aims to Shed Light on Plight of Homeless
PORTLAND, Maine – Homeless advocates from around the state are today holding their annual “sit out” in downtown Portland. The event known as the “Longest Day Vigil” takes place from sunrise until sunset and is intended to draw attention to the realities of being homeless. Among those taking part is 22-year-old Tim Katruch, originally from
Society Notebook: 40 years of people empowerment in Portland
… It was the mid-1970s when Joe Kreisler, a social work professor at the University of Southern Maine, hatched the idea that his students should have meaningful, hands-on internships working with people struggling with homelessness, hunger and poverty … Read more.
Portland program steers homeless patients to primary care
PORTLAND – Karri Gilliam said she makes friends easily. But few friendships she has made are as valued as the one with Shawna Holloway. "We hit it right off. We walked into a room and started talking, and she has been helping me ever since," Gilliam said last week. Homeless and facing a biopsy for
Survey indicates many teens are homeless
PORTLAND, Maine -A 6-page, 45-question survey is being conducted in local communities to find new ways to help vulnerable young adults. Preble Street Resource Center is conducting the study in seven counties. Preliminary results show that many young adults are homeless. Teens that couch surf, camp out or find other ways to survive are being
More homeless shelter funds get first OK from Maine lawmakers
… Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street in Portland, said that on any given night the state’s 42 shelters are housing roughly 1,000 Mainers. He told lawmakers during the public hearing that shelter operators were desperate for state funding assistance … Read more.
Survey hopes to quantify Maine's homeless youth
PORTLAND – Social service provider Preble Street is conducting a first-ever count of homeless and runaway youth in Maine. The count, which began May 18 and will last a week, was funded by a $35,000 grant from the Butler Family Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that focuses on inequalities of homelessness and the criminal justice
Maine Voices: We must not allow Portland’s budget cuts to put more people on the streets
Last Tuesday, more than 200 people showed up in front of Portland City Hall to demonstrate their opposition to disturbing policy changes embedded in the draft municipal budget. These policy changes abandon the city of Portland’s 28-year commitment to provide emergency shelter for anyone who needs it. If this budget passes, there will be no
Our View: Portland should not cut homeless shelter funding
It’s not the city of Portland’s fault that more homeless people line up outside the Oxford Street Shelter than the building can hold. It’s not Portland’s fault that the family shelter also faces more demand than it can accommodate. It’s not Portland’s fault that the governor of Maine has decided to make the city the
