Preble Street is excited to announce a new partnership with Maine Needs that will support both organizations’ goal to meet the basic needs of Mainers experiencing homelessness or who have recently moved out of homelessness.  

As of April 18, 2025, Preble Street will no longer accept individual in-kind, non-food donations. All clothing, hygiene, and household items can be brought to Maine Needs at their new location at 2385 Congress Street where Preble Street staff will access them to meet the immediate needs of clients. 

“We are thrilled about this partnership with Maine Needs,” shares Ali Lovejoy, Vice President of Mission Advancement at Preble Street. “It will allow us to use our resources more effectively, including staff time, program space, and funds, while continuing to meet the needs of the community we serve. Both agencies rely on the considerable generosity of Mainers, and Preble Street will still happily accept other donations, including food and monetary donations.” 

“We are honored to be given the opportunity to take this off of Preble Street’s plate so they can focus their invaluable energy and resources on feeding, sheltering and supporting even more people throughout our shared community,” adds Tara Balch, Communications Director, Maine Needs. “As a young nonprofit, we continue to look up to Preble Street and deeply admire their integrity, impact and the way they approach their work with respect and dignity for all. We’re excited to fully jump into this collaboration alongside an organization that has spent half a century making a meaningful difference.” 

This new partnership allows both organizations to play to their strengths and use their resources to best help Mainers in need. Maine Needs has built a highly efficient collection and distribution system that Preble Street and other local caseworkers already use. The new collaboration streamlines the process and creates clarity about where to go for needed items and where community members should donate their gently used goods. For people interested in directing material donations to Maine Needs, please refer to their donation guidelines, needs, and hours at maineneeds.org/donations. 

“Every day, caseworkers at Preble Street work with adults and teens experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness as well as individuals who are newly housed or at risk of losing housing,” says Lovejoy. “Tents, sturdy shoes, and dry clothing are literally lifesaving to people living outside. Items many of us take for granted make a huge impact for people working to move their lives forward. With Maine Needs taking on all the collecting and sorting of these key items, Preble Street can continue to focus on other priorities including providing food, shelter, casework, and housing. “  

About Maine Needs

Maine Needs is a nonprofit striving to build a community where everyone helps, and no one goes without. As a community focused donation center based out of Portland, they work in solidarity with Mainers to help meet their basic material needs. Maine Needs partners with caseworkers, teachers, and street outreach teams to learn the needs of Mainers, and through these channels sends resources to all 16 counties in Maine.  www.maineneeds.org  

About Preble Street 

From its start as a small social work agency in 1975, Preble Street has been guided by its mission to provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, hunger, and poverty, and to advocate for solutions to these problems. 

50 years later, Preble Street is a statewide organization providing critical services and care that impact thousands of Maine’s most vulnerable community members each year. In addition to the largest direct service emergency food program in northern New England, Preble Street operates low-barrier programs throughout Maine providing 24/365 services for individuals and families, including homeless youth, women, Veterans, and survivors of human trafficking.  www.PrebleStreet.org