Above, residents from Hospitality House Family Shelter enjoy fishing on Chickawaukie with donated fishing rods.
Dear Friends,
Do you remember catching your first fish? Or watching your child or grandchild do so? If you close your eyes, you can probably feel the sheer joy and wonder of that moment.
The photo above captures the silver lining of this time in our lives—back to basics and savoring simple joys.
I hope this newsletter finds you well, safe, and able to catch plentiful smiles despite our continued social distancing and efforts to keep one another safe.
Now perhaps more than ever we are all finding appreciation for the most basic things—home, love of family, nature, sharing meals, and discovering the time to just ‘be’. Our shelter families are able to walk down to the lake and take their children fishing, a gift and a break from current stressful realities, and maybe if someone catches their first fish, even a rediscovery of that feeling of joy that may have been missing for a long time.
At Knox County Homeless Coalition, we believe in discovering strengths, building self-esteem, focusing on the whole person, and restoring hope. We continuously strive to create an environment in which people can have the space to take a long awaited breath, to replenish their hearts and minds, to give and receive kindness, to begin learning again—and even to play a bit, which is especially important these days.
It is truly amazing to see the collective efforts of our donors, our staff, our board, and our volunteers. Each and every day we witness the courageous resilience of our clients—triggered by acts of kindness and encouragement. Each lease that is signed, each person in need that receives a delivery of food, critical supplies, or even a few smile-generating hoola hoops for their children, each gesture of kindness makes a huge difference, and can be celebrated as a tangible and lasting accomplishment for us all.
In this time of extraordinary global challenge and transformation, when the necessity for compassionate action is so great, I truly believe that the act of reaching out to those who are in need, expanding our circle of care in whatever small or large ways we are able, is the key to shining a light wherever there is darkness. As always, I hope you’ll take a moment to read through some of the wonderful and positive things that are currently happening in all we continue to expand on and do at KCHC in this July newsletter.
If you are able to, go catch a fish, share some giggles with someone who needs them, and please know how deeply grateful we are for each and every one of you. Thank you for your support and thank you for caring about our children and families, the future of our community and of Maine.
Stay safe and well.
Steph Primm
Executive Director, Knox County Homeless Coalition
Chair, Statewide Homeless Council
P.S. Send us your ‘fish story photos’ here. We'd love to see them and maybe even share a few!
We Do It Differently:
FOCUS ON CONNECTION
From its inceptions, our youth program has been nimble, addressing more substantial need — poverty, food insecurity, truancy, anxiety, depression — from a much younger group of kids than anticipated when we first opened. Through extensive community and school outreach, we are working to reduce the repetition of multi-generational patterns of adversity caused by poverty, lack of education, and neglect.
In 2019, the number of unaccompanied minors receiving case management services through The Landing Place increased by 111% over the year prior.
Maine Kids By the Numbers
18%
The percentage of Maine children pre-COVID living in poverty.
#1
Maine has the nation’s highest rate of anxiety in children and the 3rd highest rate of kids with depression.
1 in 5
Maine is 12th in the nation for food insecurity with 1 in 5 Maine kids not having enough to eat.
50%
About half of all the individuals we serve are children.
Online art classes during the COVID-19 shutdown and our Super Skillsprogram helped keep youth connected over the last few months by providing fun activities, basic life skills education, and access to trusting adults that weren't easily available to our participants elsewhere. Beyond basic needs and data, we have witnessed again and again that this focus on the whole individual and the whole family is what fosters real, deep connections and is truly life-saving.
Nothing replaces this real, person to person connection, so with summer weather upon us we've shifted gears to small groups doing safe, socially distanced, outdoor activities in the backyard at TLP.
Tie-dye — a fun teen staple for decades — is showcased above as the first hands-on activity from our summer schedule. Below, watch as our staff and volunteers put their "super skills" to the test to get the backyard ready for summer programming!
Staff and volunteers get the backyard at TLP ready for summer programming.
We are excited to welcome Kat to The Landing Place (TLP). She's joining the team as program manager. Kat originally sailed into the Midcoast five years ago as crew on one of the local windjammers. Since transitioning to education she has taught first and third grades in Rockland and Belfast. During her time in the classroom, Kat became increasingly aware of the many challenges faced by her students and the community at large and is looking forward to being part of KCHC's efforts to support families, and she is eager for the chance to connect with youth at TLP. In her spare time, Kat enjoys hiking, reading, and yoga.
At Knox County Homeless Coalition we are actively seeking cars with one to two years of life left in them to remove one of the biggest barriers to successful rural living. The opportunities for housing, employment, childcare and more grow exponentially with access to reliable transportation. If you or someone you know has a used vehicle to donate please contact us and if not, please help us spread the word!
July 7-Aug. 27
The Backyard
at TLP
63 Park St.
Rockland, ME
207-466-9285
Check out our line up of FREE socially-distanced activities for middle and high school students this summer.
TUESDAYS, 12-4 p.m.
Hands-on projects and lawn sports.
WEDNESDAYS, 12-4 p.m.
Walking, Biking & other Field Trips
THURSDAYS, 12-4 p.m.
Backyard Tranquility: Art, Yoga, Meditation, Small Group Discussions, Lemonade & Cucumber Water, etc.
PLEASE NOTE:
Youth must wear a mask and social distance while at TLP. We apologize but there is no transportation available at this time. Lunch will be available at each session as well as pantry food, toiletries and other supplies for youth to take home.
Current Openings
We are hiring for multiple positions! We seek caring, dedicated, and flexible team members to become a part of our mission-driven organization. If that's you, join us to create, implement, and improve programs to support the most vulnerable members of our community. Benefits include employer-supported health insurance plans, optional dental and vision plans, paid time off, and paid holidays, including your very own birthday as a paid day off (because you deserve it!). For more information visit: https://www.homehelphope.org/careers
Summer Food Program
TLP: Once again our Park Street, Rockland location is a distribution site for the Knox County Summer Meals Program. Youth and teens can pick up FREE breakfast and lunch at The Landing Place (TLP) at 63 Park Street, Rockland.
Breakfast offered between 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Lunch offered from 12:00 - 2:00
If you or a child you know needs food and cannot access this location, view the full list here.
KCHC: Our food pantry on Old County Road, Rockport continues with outbound-only food distribution. If you know of someone who is food insecure in our community, please contact us.
It Takes a Village:
HIGHLIGHTING OUR COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND THE COMMUNITY
Left, Stephen Porter. Right, Becca Gildred, Director of Development for KCHC.
Transportation is a barrier to 68% of our active clients on intake.
Maine is the most rural state in the nation with over 60% of the population living in rural areas. Since public transportation is extremely limited in the Midcoast region, many of the people we serve find it difficult or impossible to access the services and resources that are essential to their success without our transportation program, which we have been forced to modify due to the current health crisis. Even in areas of Maine considered urban, private transportation is often a necessity. Having an independent form of transportation can be truly life changing.
Above, Stephen Porter donates a car to jump start the future of one of our hard-working clients. When dropping off the vehicle with us he said, "I had this older car that I didn't drive any longer and I knew it could help someone else. Frankly it is too much of a hassle to sell it. Knox County Homeless Coalition made it easy to do good with it."
Check out this great group of volunteers that helped move nearly 6,500 lbs. of food to feed those suffering from food insecurity here in the Midcoast.
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much to everyone who committed to our recurring donation match challenge! And, though the challenge is complete, did you know that for just $10 per month you could help us supplement groceries for a family. $25 could bridge a transportation gap and buy gas for someone working their first job until they can make ends meet at the end of the month. And, $50 per month could provide life-saving phone connection support to someone working to free themselves from an unsafe situation. Domestic violence is sadly common and comes to mind first, but we also assist individuals with phones and phone cards who might be targets for human trafficking, or who are living outdoors in the Maine elements.
Whats in a name? Recently, while touring her new apartment and meeting her landlord for the first time, an individual we work with was brought to tears as the landlord mentioned each neighbor by name. She was overwhelmed with relief at the very simple measure of security and groundedness that comes with knowing who your neighbors are—something that so many of us take for granted. These are the kinds of moments that remind us that what we are doing truly matters and makes a difference in this world.
Thank you for taking the time to read about some of the great things that are happening here at KCHC and in our community in spite of the difficult times we are sharing. Please visit our website here to learn more about what we do and why we are doing it. From our staff, Board, and clients, we wish you a happy, safe summer!
