Portland Employees Rally Behind Maine Needs

When a family in Maine arrives with nothing — leaving an unsafe home, starting over after a fire, or landing in a new country with a single suitcase — Maine Needs is often the first place their caseworker calls. The Portland nonprofit collects donated clothing, hygiene products, bedding and household goods, then puts them directly into the hands of the people who need them.

What began in 2019 as a Facebook group where neighbors posted what they had and what they needed has grown into a registered nonprofit with a free community donation center in Portland. Requests arrive through schools, caseworkers, nurses, shelters and partner organizations, so help reaches people through the professionals who already know their situation.

In February 2021, employees at Quirk Chevrolet of Portland pooled their own money and presented a donation to Maine Needs — a thank-you to an organization that, in a remarkably short time, had become one of the most dependable sources of basic material support in Greater Portland.

Coats and boots. Sheets and towels. Soap, shampoo, pots and pans. None of it makes headlines, and all of it is the difference between an empty apartment and a home.