Presente Maine

Presente Maine's critical Community Health initiatives continued to meet the needs of over 500 households in Maine in 2023. Highlights include: building the strength and capacity of our team to provide a broader scope of services and response to the complex health needs of the community; hosting a bi-weekly food pantry that provided food to nearly 1000 individuals; convening 24 meetings of La Red Matriarcal, a perinatal support group that offers essential resources, education, and a safe space to build community to new parents and caregivers; and conducting over 1900 hours of case management, focusing on crisis & COVID-19 response, preventive care, and closing gaps in medical coverage and service access.

As co-chairs of All Means All, a coalition of immigrant-led and allied organizations and impacted individuals working together to expand access to Maine's Medicaid Program (MaineCare), regardless of immigration status, and to build power among immigrant communities, we saw postpartum Mainecare coverage extended for birthing parents regardless of migration status. Formerly, Mainecare coverage ended in the month that the person gave birth. Throughout the year we continued to organize to extend Mainecare coverage for all poor and income-constrained Mainers, regardless of migration status.

Through our Food Sovereignty & Land Access program we distributed over 100,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious, culturally relevant food to our community through our community food pantry. Over 25,000 pounds of this was grown locally at our Collective Farm, using sustainable farming practices. We hosted more than 20 events at the Farm, offering outdoor education and the opportunity to engage with local food systems. We began construction of an outdoor kitchen that will serve as a processing site, as well as a learning kitchen where community members can experiment with preparing food with farm fresh produce.