Advocacy Programs

The Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative (PSMHI) provides hunger relief to children during the summer at free summer meal sites positioned throughout Cumberland County. This year, Windham once again has a site of its own. Free lunch is served to children aged 5-18 from Monday through Friday, weather dependent, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. … Read more

This summer a good number of students sought out health-related internships that took place outside the hospital or doctor’s clinic and instead were situated within the community. Several were supported financially with fellowships from Bowdoin. Below is a brief description of one student’s summer position, supported by a grant from Bowdoin Career Planning’s funded internship … Read more

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Rep. Chellie Pingree joined a member of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture at one of Maine’s summer meals sites on Tuesday. The USDA funds nearly 400 sites throughout the state where Monday through Friday, kids can get a free meal. “The USDA, we support these meals, but it takes partnerships … Read more

NORWAY — Guy E. Rowe Elementary School was recently named a top-six finisher in the Full Plates Full Potential challenge. The school increased its breakfast participation rate by 71 percent, which is credited to the school’s recent switch to offering breakfast to all students in the classroom. The school served 708 additional breakfasts the week … Read more

WESTBROOK, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Many kids in Maine, off for the summer, can’t wait to get back to school. It’s because, for some, it’s the only place they’ll get a reliable meal. Many Maine adults also rely on a food assistance program called “SNAP,” which the state and Governor LePage are threatening to eliminate. … Read more

PORTLAND (WGME) — Kids who get free or reduced school lunch often have to go hungry in the summer because school is out. But several local groups are coming together to make sure children in Maine have enough to eat year round. Portland Public Schools, the Maine Hunger Initiative and the United Way’s “Starting Strong” … Read more

PORTLAND — After four months of listening, the City Council Housing Committee is headed toward some starting points for policies. The committee will first cull and review data gathered at its May 25 meeting at the University of Southern Maine. The committee chairwoman, Councilor Jill Duson, said the results from queries about 135 possible areas of … Read more

It is clear that Portland is in the midst of a housing crisis … Over 100 no-cause evictions have occurred in just the past six months. People who thought they had left homelessness behind have been thrown out once again to desperately seek housing and return to the shelters … In response to this emergency … Read more

…  No-cause evictions, which have been happening with increasing frequency in Portland as buildings sell and landlords renovate, was a common concern … “Whether you’re a good or bad tenant, it makes no difference,” said Jim Devine, who lives on Congress Street and is an advocate for Homeless Voices for Justice. He said rent control … Read more

… “Our concern is that these evictions are targeting the city’s most vulnerable and its poorest tenants,” said Jan Bindas-Tenney, advocacy coordinator for Preble Street and a member of the coalition. The organization, which includes Preble Street, Homeless Voices for Justice, the Opportunity Alliance, the Portland Tenants Union, Shalom House and Catholic Charities, says recent … Read more