Adult Services PORTLAND – More than 50 people turned out Thursday night for a public hearing on homelessness as a city task force works toward a strategic plan that reflects “the heart of the community.” The hearing in the Portland Public Library’s Rines Auditorium was the first held by the city’s Task Force on Homelessness, which was … Read more
The version of the farm bill that emerged from the Senate Agriculture Committee contains $4.5 billion in cuts to the food stamps program over 10 years. That amount is a small fraction of the nation’s spending on food stamps, currently nearly $80 billion a year, but would, nevertheless, be devastating for nearly half-a-million households that … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Monday that $93,000 in federal grant money will be used to pay for 46,500 meals at soup kitchens and food pantries in Cumberland County. The news comes three days before a community forum held by Portland’s task force on homelessness, a group created by city officials to … Read more
Last week, I read a story in the Portland Press Herald that was perfect for this Philanthropy Friday series. The story, written by Avery Yale Kamila, was about how businesses in Maine were using employee-managed gardens to help stock local food pantries. Not only are companies like Harvard Pilgrim and Idexx Laboratories donating fresh produce … Read more
Make no mistake about it, homelessness in Maine is on the rise. Continued cuts to MaineCare and General Assistance programs mean only one thing: more people on the streets of our communities. Here in Portland, the streets are exactly where people will end up; we simply don’t have room in our shelters for any more … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – The president of Hannaford Bros. Co. was scheduled Wednesday to receive the 2012 Hon. Edmund S. Muskie Access to Justice Award. Beth Newlands Campbell has supported many initiatives that promote equality and well-being, according to a press release issued Wednesday by Pine Tree Legal Assistance. The award is presented annually to recognize … Read more
For the second year, Patty Cook is gardening on company time. A manager at Idexx Laboratories, Cook is one of hundreds of employees cultivating crops for local food pantries behind the global veterinary testing company’s sprawling corporate headquarters in Westbrook. "We delivered to the Sagamore (Village) Food Pantry last year," Cook said. "It was amazing … Read more
Foreclosures and unemployment are pushing middle class and low-income Americans out of their homes, and emergency shelters and food pantries are seeing record increases in demand for their services. Yet some recent reports suggest that homelessness is not increasing significantly. This is due to both flaws in the data they rely on and the narrow … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – Don Deitz labored to get to the driver’s side window of a small red car, damaged nerves in his legs making even the short walk difficult. He accepted a few dollars and a passing conversation from the driver, then returned to his cardboard sign and the corner of State Street and Park … Read more
Augusta – Republican lawmakers in Augusta plan to use their majority to pass a state budget rewrite that makes up for an $80-million shortfall largely through cuts in social services. But Tuesday’s vote did not come without a fight. The Maine Senate has given the proposal initial proposal with a 19-to-16 vote along party lines. … Read more
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