Since we opened in February 2011, our attendance has grown steadily.  We’ve come to the point where the space that our incredible friends at the Adventist Community Services Center Clothing Bank have made available has become too small for the number of guests we serve.  Too small for classes, too small for job counseling, too small for literacy training or any other service that might improve the lives of our guests.

And, so, we have decided to move.  We have been fortunate enough to obtain a building on the same premises as our present location and have hired a designer who has developed plans to replace the existing structure with a new building that will meet our needs. We estimate the new facility will cost approximately $450,000 which we hope to raise in time to begin construction in the Spring.   Once complete, it will enable us to accommodate more guests and provide more programs for those who desperately need them.

Thanks to the efforts of so many individuals and institutions, Brunswick is an eminently livable place with much to offer residents, business, students and visitors.  It is this very spirit that gives hope to the poor and homeless.  Put yourself in their position. Then consider what you might be able to do.

How is this for the Hub:

The Gathering Place knows it is very important to remain on the present campus with the Clothing Bank, the Food Pantry and the Soup Kitchen. Across the street is Midcoast Hospital’s Outpatient Clinic. Our new building will have two conference rooms so case managers can come see their clients for private meetings. Oasis Clinic is invited to come take blood pressures. Other people may teach a class on diabetes. Another can help with jobs. The possibilities are many which can make us be the hub for supporting the needy.

Our strategic location next to the Clothing Bank and a few steps from Mid Coast Hunger Prevention will allow us (is key to our plan?) to become a hub for services for the poor and homeless.  Mid Coast Hospital’s Walk-In Clinic is across the street while Tedford Housing’s adult shelter for the homeless is but a few blocks away.  Our new building will contain conference rooms for these and other agencies to meet with clients and coordinate their efforts.  The Gathering Place will be the new front door for service to the poor and homeless of our community.