Others in the community are ready to help, too. The Scarborough Food Pantry and South Portland Food Cupboard are a couple of the local pantries open every week to distribute food. Area banks and credit unions may be able offer temporary low-interest loans to help federal workers get by until the shutdown ends. >>MORE

Not sure where to start? Call us at 883-5111.

Please save the date for our annual rally for fuel assistance: Saturday, February 16th 10-Noon at the Oak Hill Fire House. Our goal is to raise $15,000, and whether you give a little or a lot, you can help your neighbors keep warm this winter.

Project GRACE has been working with our very good friends at the Scarborough Food Pantry to give seniors a boost in their monthly food budgets. With the help of Wayside Foods, boxes of staples like soups and peanut butter, juice and cereal, canned fruit and vegetables are provided to eligible seniors. For Scarborough residents, home delivery is an option. We wanted to give a shout out to the many helping hands that make this project a growing success!

Here are a few tips for keeping warm. Visit us on FaceBook to share yours...

>>More tips from "This Old House"

Special gifts to make the holidays brighter for kids! 

You can be matched to a specific family for a child's needs and wants for the holiday, or you can host a giving tree or make a gift to sponsor a child's holiday. For giving trees, we can provide tags, or you can make your own. Items needed include: new toys and family games, arts & crafts supplies for all ages and abilities, learning toys, new dish towels and cooking utensils, snow pants, hats & mittens, new warm socks for boys and girls, soaps and shampoos, fleece 'throw' blankets, fleece vests and pullovers, energy saving LED lightbulbs, and more...

Delicious goodness, that's what's in a holiday meal basket! There are the fixings for a traditional holiday meal plus a modest grocery gift card to get a turkey, or other fresh items. There may also be extra touches like a pack of festive napkins or paper plates, a fresh pie or treat for the kids, rolls or bread, roasting pan or aluminum foil. Some baskets also have the fixings for another meal or two over the holiday weekend: pancake mix and syrup, pasta and sauce, soups and peanut butter. We also hope for fresh items like oranges, apples, bananas or potatoes, carrots, celery, squash, onions, and green beans.

Our good friends in the Hillcrest neighborhood are holding their annual charity craft fair and bake sale - and proceeds help Project GRACE keep our neighbors warm, grow community gardens with fresh veggies for the pantry, and help our neighbors when they have a temporary setback or need a little help to make ends meet. Come out to the Hillcrest Community Center (108 HIllcrest Ave, just off Route One) on Saturday, Nov. 3rd, and you'll be sure to get in the holiday spirit!

Returning 2017 champions, Scarborough Public Library, are facing some tough competition this year from past champions (Maine POPS Concert Band/In the Key of Bee, Scarborough Ed Techs/The Trivials, O'Reilly's Cure/The Brewsual Suspects) and plenty of other SMAArty Pants determined to win bragging rights!  Who has the best team name? Help the judges decide - vote now through 8pm on Thursday!

We are grateful to all who made the 7th Annual Pumpkin Festival a great success, including our good friends at Highland Avenue Greenhouse & Farm Market. Sunday was bright, mild, and the perfect day to enjoy all the activities -- from facepainting to obstacle course to pumpkin painting to apple and pumpkin catapults, and more! If you missed it, you can still stop in to pick out a pumpkin or mums or sample treats from the cafe! Thank you one and all, including these event sponsors:

A whole lot of neighbors voted for us to be this year's charity for the annual pumpkin festival at Highland Avenue Greenhouses!  Wow - thank you!!  We hope you'll come out and see us, bring the kids!!

Hey Neighbor, there's still time to get your tickets for Scarborough Night at the Sea Dogs on August 3rd!

Too many kids in Maine - and in our town, too - are hungry and not getting enough nourishment. When kids come to school hungry, it threatens their futures in profound ways. Hungry kids have a harder time concentrating on lessons and generally score lower on tests, are at higher risk of health problems, tend to miss more school, and are also more likely to experience behavioral issues and social difficulties. Hunger makes it harder to fully participate in school or other activities. It doesn't have to be this way for our kids.

At a recent school board meeting, Project GRACE awarded the Scarborough School Nutrition Program a $3,000 grant for milk and snacks, breakfasts and lunches, and second helpings, for students whose families are struggling.
 
"We're picking up the lunch tab for our neighbors who want to provide healthy meals for their kids, but can't because of set backs like loss of work, illness, or other circumstances that make it difficult to make ends meet," says Project GRACE's Board President, Bert Follansbee. "No child should have to go hungry, and our partnership with the schools and the generous support of our friends makes it possible for us to respond with discretion and compassion." 

Almost 3,000 kids attend school in Scarborough; about 12% are participating in the 'free and reduced' school meal program. Even so, some children need extra helpings to make up for not getting enough food at home. Other families, especially working families who earn just a bit too much to qualify but not enough to make ends meet or a family going through a temporary rough patch, need help feeding their kids. The longstanding partnership between Project GRACE and the schools ensures vulnerable students get the daily nutrition they need to stay on track to succeed.

Our community's generous investment in Project GRACE allows us to meet basic needs for kids in our schools so that teachers and students can focus on learning and preparing for a bright future.

Kids will be heading back to school soon, but many families will struggle to provide the basics like backpacks, notebooks, paper, pens and pencils, rulers and glue sticks. With your help, we can ensure all kids start the first day of school ready to learn, prepared to succeed.

Join the Portland Sea Dogs as we celebrate Scarborough Community Night at Hadlock Field. Along with a fun night of baseball we will be celebrating Scarborough's fabulous community spirit, and the Project GRACE mission of Neighbors Helping Neighbors. 

You can help your neighbors with each ticket purchased. Tickets are $9 general admission seats, including $3 donated to Project GRACE's Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund which supports programs like community nutrition, fuel assistance, and helping a neighbor in a time of need.

Download Sponsor Flier

To purchase your tickets, please fill out the form online.

For questions regarding the event, or to discuss a corporate package or see how your group can get in on the game, please contact Dennis Meehan at 874-9300 or dmeehan@seadogs.com

The "Food for Thought & Action" group, hosted by the Scarborough Food Pantry, Scarborough School Nutrition, and Project GRACE, is ready to reconvene. We are eager to hear how things are going and your ideas for what else we can tackle together to halt hunger in our community.

We'll be convening in a few weeks, and hope you'll attend. In the meantime, please save the date:
Wednesday, May 16th (2:30-5:00)
St. Maximilian-Kolbe Church 
150 Black Point Road (map)

Help the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center open up the nature center, pick up trash and debris in the marsh, and help you neighbors with a donation of food or grocery gift cards for the food pantry. 9am - Noon.

The community is invited to a special Earth Day Festival @ the Scarborough Public Library from Noon to 3pm! The event will celebrate two new ReVision Energy solar installations at the Library: an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and a rooftop solar panel array. Earth Day activities will include an appearance by News Center Maine meteorologist Jessica Conley and weather van Stormy, live music by The Incredulous String Band, electric vehicle demonstrations by Pape Chevrolet, a Minecraft Lab where players can build virtual solar arrays in the Library’s Minecraft world (2-4pm), and exhibits by community environmental organizations, including the Scarborough Community Garden!  An official ribbon cutting of the EV charging station will take place at 1:00 pm. This event is free to attend. Hope to see you there!