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30+ years of warmth and food
The Trinity Jubilee Center, now a secular non-profit, was originally a project of the Trinity Episcopal Church. The Church’s Urban Ministry Training Center (UMTC) opened in 1991 in the hall beneath the church. Three meals a week were cooked by staff, volunteers, and nuns; emergency food filled the pantry.
Established by the Episcopal Church, Jubilee Centers exist across the United States and are a “social justice ministry of advocacy and service for the poor and oppressed.” In 2001 the UMTC was recognized as the first Jubilee Center in Maine. As programs continued to grow and new programs were added the newly-renamed Trinity Jubilee Center officially incorporated as a separate, secular 501(c)3 non-profit in 2001. The Center today continues to rent the basement of the church.
After 2001 the Center continued to grow, becoming a United Way agency and hiring its first full-time Executive Director. The informal practice of allowing people to come in out of the cold while meals were prepared officially became a Day Shelter and Warming Center, now open 45 hours per week. As refugees began to arrive in the city, the Refugee Integration Program was created to best meet their unique needs. The Soup Kitchen expanded to serve hot lunches six days a week, now serving 35,000 meals per year. The Food Pantry expanded to include a Diaper Bank, now distributing 45,000 diapers per year. The Resource Center, already offering services including assistance with housing applications, a mailing address for homeless patrons, and access to a phone, fax machine, and printer, expanded again with the addition of the Free Clinic, providing medical attention to those in need.
The Center is now open six days a week and offers five programs: the Soup Kitchen, Food Pantry/Diaper Bank, Day Shelter, Resource Center, and Refugee Integration Program. More than 1,000 people are served by these programs every week.
The Center continues to grow…
For three decades our programs have grown. We have far outgrown our space. Our Day Shelter is forced to turn homeless people away when the room reaches capacity. Our Soup Kitchen distributions are held outdoors, year round. Our medical, mental health, and substance misuse services are limited by a lack of private meeting rooms. Our space is cramped, has no ventilation, and is not accessible for guests with mobility challenges. In late 2024 we break ground on a new facility. It will offer nearly four times the space. The Day Shelter expands to include a shower and laundry. There is a dedicated medical clinic room and several private meeting rooms for client meetings with case managers and counselors. A large room will host daily food distributions and will be used by partner agencies for workshops and classes. More work stations are added to the office to assist more people with employment.
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