Maine Needs is about people coming together and actively caring for one another.
We cannot do our work honestly or effectively without a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We believe it is vital to fostering a community where everyone can thrive.
Our work is built around the recognition that while we all have the same basic needs, we don’t all share the same access to opportunity.
We believe that worth does not need to be proven and that support does not need to be earned.
We believe that every person has something unique and powerful to offer and that every person is necessary.
In striving to provide equitable access to material essentials, we are committed to meeting people where they are, learning one anothers stories and working collaboratively.
We are committed to mutual respect.
We are committed to scrutinizing the root causes of systemic inequity and inspiring those around us to be part of bringing change to systems that have been designed to leave certain people behind.
We are committed to dismantling harmful stereotypes by highlighting our shared humanity.
We believe that empowerment comes from community care based in solidarity.
We believe in celebrating and respecting our differences while working to ensure they don’t create unnecessary barriers between us.
A commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is deeply tied to our mission of striving to build a community where everyone helps and no one goes without. Because going without doesn’t just mean things- it means safety, respect, and the chance to pursue a full life.
Being active in our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion means
when we see a request for a kid with sensory needs, we find them shirts without buttons, pants without zippers and soft socks.
when we see a request for a mother that speaks Portuguese, French, Spanish, Arabic or Ukrainian - we try to pack children’s books in the language that feels most like home.
when we have requests for gender neutral or gender affirming clothes, we do our best to find clothes that make someone feel most comfortable in their skin.
we host corporate groups, high schoolers, people with disabilities, immigrants, parents with young children, retirees, the LGTBQIA+ community, churches, temples, synagogues in one space and it works.
we come together as individuals in one building, learn from one another, and reflect back the community effort we believe in.
We are humbled by all we have left to learn and energized by this ever-evolving journey. We know that we’re better, stronger and more capable together. And that everyone means everyone.
SOLIDARITY, NOT CHARITY
means that we acknowledge how privilege breeds opportunity and that those experiencing generational, systemic poverty go without basic necessities no matter how hard they try. It means that those of us who can give more should, because the system that keeps millions of children hungry and millions of people homeless and millions of people suffering from abuse or mental health disorders demands more of us.
SOLIDARITY, NOT CHARITY
means that we genuinely appreciate every individual effort. We thank people for helping, but we also expect their help. It means we raise the bar and ask for the best for those who have very little. We focus on the needs of people and their stories of resilience, and not on the person who donated. We center the needs of the community while using posts and storytelling to inform others of the reality that so many face unnecessarily.
SOLIDARITY, NOT CHARITY
means that we strive to create a culture of mutual aid that is driven by compassion, genuine empathy and a deeply rooted sense of connection. It’s about more than charitable donations. It's about building a society where we can all feel comfortable, safe and seen. We are committed to calling on community to dig in and do the work to help effect lasting positive change that evens the playing field, minimizes struggle and values humanity above all else.