It Takes a Village 207

09/03/2026

Another successful outreach is in the books!
Today, we served approximately 55 people, and once again, I’m reminded that none of this happens because of just one person. It happens because of an entire VILLAGE of kind-hearted, giving, compassionate people who continue to show up week after week.
Thank you to everyone who donated food, snacks, drinks, desserts, sandwiches, bananas, supplies, clothing, and everything in between. Today we were able to serve macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, a chicken dish, vegetables, and SO many amazing desserts.
Ty to Kona Ice of York County, it may not have been a hot day, but you surely provided a lot of smiles with your trees.

Thank you to Dr. N for continuing to provide much-needed wound care and treating every person with compassion and dignity.

Thank you to Donna Wadsworth for putting so much time and love into our to-go bags, and all you do.
and to every single volunteer who helps pre, serve, clean up, organize, talk with people, check on someone who may be struggling, or simply asks, “What can I do to help?”
Please know that ALL of it matters.
Whether you drop off a bunch of bananas, make sandwiches, bring winter hats, fruit, cook a main dish, bake a dessert, donate drinks, help with to-go bags, volunteer your time, or simply stop by because you see us running around stressed and want to know how Nancy ty for everything! YOU ARE VALUED.
We value every single person who makes up this Village, and we are truly honored to be surrounded by so many people who believe in showing kindness, compassion, and love to those who need it most.
This is what community is supposed to look like.
Where Community Becomes Family.
Until next week, THANK YOU for continuing to be part of our Village. ❤️

09/01/2026

Wednesday/outreach is quickly approaching and we have many needs left unfilled if anyone is able to take part of making a difference, please let us know. Thank you :)

Needs: another big main dish, beverages, ice, 30 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches , 30 meat sandwiches, toilet paper,
and another dessert.

♥️Wednesday 9/2/26 Outreach♥️

Volunteers: Journey, Dave, Nancy, Julie, Linda S, Josie Linda F,
Merideth- Wound care
Jake & Carl ( Doors & Steps)
Linda F. - Charging Station

This weeks outside partnerships:
💜Will- certified recovery coach Sweetser

Anticipated number of friends: 60+
_____________________________
✅ = Filled | 🫶🏽 = Still Needed
_____________________________

❤️ Hot Main Dishes ❤️
✅ two 9x13 Mac n cheese

✅chicken

🫶🏽

🫶🏽Sides:
✅rice

✅🍰 Dessert: (anything soft, no nuts) Pamela n Anita

Meal beverages:

✅ any individual soda, Gatorade, etc. -Linda -36

✅water Nancy

🍽 Supplies

✅Ice for keeping drinks cold - Joanne Polcaro

✅To-go containers

🫶🏽Thick plates-

✅Paper towels

🫶🏽water flavoring packets

🫶🏽Silverware combo packs –

🎒 To-Go Bag Items
(for that night & the next day)

✅ 30 PB&J sandwiches (tip: PB on both sides helps them stay fresh ) Nancy Verrill

✅30 meat and cheese sandwiches Kim Lorde

🫶🏽65 pull-tab cans / Hormel Compleats /
Or We could use some individual Carnation instant breakfast drinks (they're on the wishlist )

🫶🏽Toilet paper

✅ Men’s socks

✅30 oranges or apples Elaine Allegra Cann

✅30 bananas- Elaine

🫶🏽Juice boxes / light drinks -

🫶🏽Snacks for to go bags (not nuts )
(We need pop tarts, muffins, fruit cups, soft granola bars, soft cookies, chips, toilet paper )

✅Thick Trash bags for the Church -

✅Small Trash bags for individuals -ITAV

🫶🏽Body wipes (individually bagged preferred) but big bags are fine as we can separate - Thank you Donna

Venmo if you would rather donate monetarily and we shop (code:7366)

Drop off: 145/ pm St. George's Episcopal Church - Sanford, Maine
(Can pickup up crockpots/pans at 3:30)

🌟 Extras & Wish List
Much-needed items silverware packs, snacks, drinks & more: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/5AS1WA3NCQ9U?ref_=wl_share

Weekly Outreach Reminders
•Drop-off time is 1:45 on Wednesdays,

•Clothing and blanket donations are currently being directed to North Parish Congregational Church UCC in Sanford. Mondays and Wednesdays 9 to 12.

•Approved volunteers are scheduled about a month in advance (sometimes two), which helps us keep outreach running smoothly each week.

08/31/2026

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day.
I’ve struggled with what to post today because this one feels especially heavy.
Over the years, we have lost far too many people we love doing what we do. And this past year… this past year was probably the hardest of all. There has been so much loss, so much heartbreak, and honestly, some of it we still haven’t even begun to get past.
Those who have followed us for a while know how important it is to me that we remember the PEOPLE we have lost, not just how they died.
Today, someone sent us a video from the Memorial for Mainers: A Black Balloon Rally event earlier this year, and I wasn’t prepared for how hard it would hit me.
There was so much represented in that one video.
My daughter and my nieces were there. My mom was in it shaking Skyler Rays hand, I was there in the audience and families were gathered together. People in recovery were standing beside people who love them. And then suddenly, there on the screen, was someone we met through outreach who became so incredibly close to us, someone we miss more than words can explain. Will/Spaceman. 1:41 you'll see his face. We had many faces on that screen that Day & we miss you all.
Seeing them again hit me like a ton of bricks.
And maybe that is exactly what I needed to share today.
Because behind every overdose is a PERSON.
Someone’s child. Someone’s parent.
Someone’s brother or sister.
Someone’s best friend. Someone’s person. They loved. They had dreams. They had people who worried about them, rooted for them, fought beside them and would give anything for one more conversation, one more hug, one more day.
Their lives mattered. ALWAYS will.
And the families left behind matter, too.
One of the other things I love so much about this video is seeing Skyler, Benjamin Lerner and the other incredible artists who stood up there that day singing for families like ours. Artists like The Real Young Swagg, Colicchie, rage and so many others use their music and their own stories to talk about addiction, recovery, grief, hope and second chances. Their songs have become part of the soundtrack of our lives.
So today, instead of simply posting statistics, I want to make this about THEM.
If you have lost someone to overdose, please share their name, a picture, a memory, or something you want the world to know about them in the comments.
Say their names. Tell us who they were.
Tell us what made them laugh, what they loved, or what you miss most.
Because they were so much more than the way they died.
Their names will not be forgotten. Their stories still matter. Their lives mattered.

And they will always, always be loved.
In memory of every beautiful soul we couldn't bring home. 💜

“Still Human” is a raw and emotional collaboration between Skyler R...

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

$3 SUNDAY...
Today we’re asking our community for $3.
It may not sound like much, but when a whole community comes together, those $3 donations can add up to some pretty incredible things.
This week, we need to restock items for our to-go bags that we hand out during outreach..simple food and basic necessities that can mean so much to someone who has very little.
We also have another busy week of transportation ahead of us.
One person we’ve been supporting has completed their 30-day recovery program and is now ready to transition into a 6-month program! That means several hours of driving, but those are miles we are MORE than happy to drive. ❤️
We’re also working with a few individuals who are ready to go to detox, along with rides to medical appointments and other important places that can help people continue moving forward.
Sometimes the biggest barrier between someone and the help they need is simply getting there.
So today, whether your $3 helps buy something for a to-go bag or puts a little gas in the tank, please know it becomes part of something much bigger...
A community giving $3 can do A LOT.
Thank you for continuing to help us meet people where they are, fill the gaps, and remind them that they don't have to do this alone.
•It Takes a Village 207•
"Where Community Becomes Family" ❤️ (loving our new motto....!!"

08/29/2026

♥️Wednesday 9/2/26 Outreach♥️

Volunteers: Journey, Dave, Nancy, Julie, Linda S, Josie Linda F,
Merideth- Wound care
Jake & Carl ( Doors & Steps)
Linda F. - Charging Station

This weeks outside partnerships:
💜Will- certified recovery coach Sweetser

Anticipated number of friends: 60+
_____________________________
✅ = Filled | 🫶🏽 = Still Needed
_____________________________

❤️ Hot Main Dishes ❤️
✅ two 9x13 Mac n cheese

✅chicken

🫶🏽

🫶🏽Sides:
✅rice

✅🍰 Dessert: (anything soft, no nuts) Pamela n Anita

Meal beverages:

✅ any individual soda, Gatorade, etc. -Linda -36

✅water Nancy

🍽 Supplies

✅Ice for keeping drinks cold - Joanne Polcaro

✅To-go containers

🫶🏽Thick plates-

✅Paper towels

🫶🏽water flavoring packets

🫶🏽Silverware combo packs –

🎒 To-Go Bag Items
(for that night & the next day)

✅ 30 PB&J sandwiches (tip: PB on both sides helps them stay fresh ) Nancy Verrill

✅30 meat and cheese sandwiches Kim Lorde

🫶🏽65 pull-tab cans / Hormel Compleats /
Or We could use some individual Carnation instant breakfast drinks (they're on the wishlist )

🫶🏽Toilet paper

✅ Men’s socks

✅30 oranges or apples Elaine Allegra Cann

✅30 bananas- Elaine

🫶🏽Juice boxes / light drinks -

🫶🏽Snacks for to go bags (not nuts )
(We need pop tarts, muffins, fruit cups, soft granola bars, soft cookies, chips, toilet paper )

✅Thick Trash bags for the Church -

✅Small Trash bags for individuals -ITAV

🫶🏽Body wipes (individually bagged preferred) but big bags are fine as we can separate - Thank you Donna

Venmo if you would rather donate monetarily and we shop (code:7366)

Drop off: 145/ pm St. George's Episcopal Church - Sanford, Maine
(Can pickup up crockpots/pans at 3:30)

🌟 Extras & Wish List
Much-needed items silverware packs, snacks, drinks & more: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/5AS1WA3NCQ9U?ref_=wl_share

Weekly Outreach Reminders
•Drop-off time is 1:45 on Wednesdays,

•Clothing and blanket donations are currently being directed to North Parish Congregational Church UCC in Sanford. Mondays and Wednesdays 9 to 12.

•Approved volunteers are scheduled about a month in advance (sometimes two), which helps us keep outreach running smoothly each week.

08/27/2026

Edit: Becky is home, large kidney stone, infection and injured her spine. Just need prayers this stone & pain passes or she'll need surgery. Thanks !!

Asking for prayers n well wishes for Becky Grace she’s had crippling pain for a while now and then started peeing blood . We are pretty sure the kidney stone that she was told was too big to pass has decided to try anyways . The ambulance took her about an hour ago , two hours before we were to leave for five days . She’s pretty upset . Thanks everyone.