Maine Needs, who just celebrated their 5-year anniversary, helps ensure individuals and families across the state have the essential items they need. Powered by a growing collective of volunteers, their aim is to help individuals and families in Maine meet their basic, material needs by providing donated clothing, hygiene products, and household items. Through partnerships with caseworkers (including at Preble Street!), teachers, and street outreach teams, they learn the needs of children and adults throughout Maine and invite the community to donate those items or volunteer their time to sort donations and fill orders. 

After starting in 2019 as a volunteer-run Facebook group acting as a bridge between people in need and people who could help, the founders quickly saw the depth of the need in our state. Today, Maine Needs is a 501c3 nonprofit with paid staff and thousands of volunteers working out of a 16,000 square foot building at 2385 Congress Street. To date, they’ve distributed nearly 2 million items across all 16 counties. They continue to use their large social media presence to educate the general public about the issues vulnerable Mainers face. 

Whether someone has lived here all their lives, is a newly arrived immigrant, is fleeing domestic violence, is living unsheltered, or is newly housed, Maine Needs staff and volunteers work to provide them with essential items so each person and family can focus on fulfilling and pursuing higher, longer-term needs. 

Preble Street caseworkers have utilized Maine Needs to access clothing and other supplies for people experiencing homelessness for years, but in April 2025 the partnership became even stronger and more official. All clothing, hygiene, and household donations for Preble Street adult and youth clients should be brought to Maine Needs where Preble Street staff will access them. This partnership allows Preble Street to use our resources more effectively, including staff time, program space, and funds, while continuing to meet the needs of the community we serve.  

“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 Ali Lovejoy, Vice President of Mission Advancement. “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.”    

Top needs right now include gloves, new adult underwear, athletic socks, winter hats, winter coats, and Dunkin gift cards. View our full wish list, along with Maine Needs donation hours here.