Community Services/Non-Profits in Portland, ME

“Portland Gear Hub is amazing! I have a bike that I ride occasionally, but I know practically nothing about basic maintenance and repair. I've dropped in twice with a tire issue and a seat adjustment gone horribly wrong, and the staff were wonderfully helpful and patient. They speedily fixed the issues at a reasonable cost. Also, my teen recently needed a bigger bike, and he found one he loved in their used inventory. Such a better experience than buying from a box store! Best of all, they are a nonprofit doing great things in the community. I can't say enough good things about Portland Gear Hub!”

“I wish we could give ten stars. You don’t expect to need a place to stay for weeks or months at a time when you suddenly have a family member in the hospital. Our son was born prematurely and we had no clue what we would do or how we could afford a hotel for the predicted month that he would have to stay in the NICU. All family was at least an hour away, and as a mother you don’t want to be that far away from your baby, especially in the condition he was in at the time. We will never, ever be able to repay the kindness and provisions we were given while staying at the Ronald McDonald house there in Portland. The people there were so, so kind and understanding. There is nothing like an open door when you have nowhere to turn, or a clean dry bed when you’ve spent long days in the hospital with baby, or a home cooked meal when you’ve hardly even remembered to drink water all day. Thank you, thank you.”

“Such a great benefit for locals, and the world! If you are in need of medical supplies at a very discounted price, please call them! They helped my family member greatly!”

“My company Hager Photography had the absolute pleasure of photographing a wedding reception here at The Cumberland Club this summer and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun, classy wedding experience. Coolidge is such a unique venue! It's a great space with a lot of history! You can't go wrong booking your wedding here.”

“On our visit, they had quite a lot of really good merchandise to choose from. The store was neat and orderly and the staff was friendly. There was lots of room for parking.”

“This post is amazing, I was semi-connected with it over a decade ago and while I was having fun, then it did involve a lot Partying. It's a different story now, for many reasons That I will not go into it this time. The leadership there is incredible, welcoming, and more social oriented. They hold many dances, Public dinners, events like poker and bingo To mention but a few. To get an idea of the place drop in on a Monday Night from 4 o'clock on and check out the Bingo operation. There's no drinking while you're playing bingo. But you may have a drink at the bar while you're waiting Everyone there was a volunteer no one gets paid in 42 people had a good time last night. This is just one example of the many things they do. Money raise goes to many causes but one eye, especially like is a scholarship for kids going to trade school. Even if you are not a veteran of a foreign war, if you are related to one, you can join the auxiliary, men or women, Check it out”

“I love the root cellar I go to their food pantry every two weeks and I always get a good selection of food that I get for me and my parents and they have a church in the building where people can go for service every Sunday it's honestly a wonderful place!”

“My daughter goes to this daycare, she absolutely loves it! I was so nervous about sending her anywhere as she had been with just me since birth, and the staff had made the transition fabulous, her teachers are wonderful and I get updates on each activities, feedings, and photos of walks through each day! I am truly grateful for this nursery!”

“Top Hat Productions puppet opera experience is one of a kind, magical. David, a professionally trained opera singer transports you to the magical world of a big musical production via his action figure diorama which is projected on a large screen adjacent. He moves the characters as he sings their parts. It's a unique and stunning experience.”

“I just came back from fishing down at Portland Fish Exchange. The city of Portland owns the pier it's open for the public to fish. When the boats come in to unload their fish, or when they have the fishing nets out to repair and put the Nets back on the fishing boats they need to use a crane. They do ask you not to fish there. It is not because they are being mean to the public ! It's for the person fishing safety. They can get heard even get Killed. I see one person down there that insisted on fishing when they asked him not to. It was none of my business but I talk to the person fishing and told him he could get hurt really bad and even die. I also see one time when they was loading the Nets on the boat one of the big rollers fell. All the fisherman and people working on the boats and fixing the Nets are all really polite. Portland Fish Exchange Pier is the only one I go every day to go Fishing. I always ask if it's okay to fish today and is there any fishing boats coming in. If so, just out of respect for the fisherman and workers and for my own safety. I do have pictures of them working”

“I danced with this friendly contradance group on a vacation trip to Maine. Everything about it was great: the dance floor, the music, the dancers, the caller. I hope to dance with them again on another trip up the Maine coast.”

“I honestly can say from the bottom of my heart, this place helped me save my life. I went there believe it or not, three times in a month. The last time I finally got it. It wasn’t easy. I had 7 years sober as of summer of 2022. I lost two girlfriends from drugs causing cardiac arrest to both of them. My girlfriend Jona that just passed, is my angel and sent me back to Milestone. Today I am almost 4 months sober. Feel great. This place totally rocks. Oh and if you meet Ashley, she has the best collection of Nike air max. ?”

“Currently Working with Career Advisor Allie Webber and shes supper responsive and works quickly and super helpful. She was able to find multiple scholarships for my education program and help do the applications. I love it when someone is serious about their job.”

“A couple years ago, I was told the Portland YMCA does not accept members from other locations, but now I've gone twice and was told they accept all nationwide members.
The workout area is small but decent. The larger, boys/all-age male locker room downstairs is closer to the pool; The smaller, adult men's locker room upstairs has a sauna and iis closer to the basketball gym. NO steam room nor hot tub.”

“The GMRI is a fascinating place and a decidedly wonderful addition to the Portland waterfront. The programming they offer to local middle school students is exceptional and their new interactive learning lab, complete with a large observation tank, is state of the art. I found myself wishing that there was programming available to the general public. Every year, the GMRI holds a seafood celebration. I was lucky enough to attend this year. There were three floors of local chefs sharing their best seafood creations. Holding this event on all three floors, naturally walked guests through their facility, which I have to say, is extremely impressive. Their building itself, sits right on the working waterfront, with wonderful views and big tall windows to let in all the light. On the ground floor is the learning lab. Sitting inside the lab, with the tank on your left and the wall sized screen playing a video on local aquatic life, you could imagine yourself on a learning vessel, working and learning alongside marine biologists. The fare at the seafood celebration was pretty epic. There were haddock sliders, fish tacos and the most incredible scallop crudo. There were also bowls set out on communal tables of home made potato chips and onion dip, which had nothing to do with seafood, but were stand outs as well. Overall, this is a fascinating place that does great work and the GMRI seafood celebration is one of the rare times, the public is invited in for a view and some delicious apps. Well worth scoring a ticket or two next year!”

“Truck driver here. Called ahead and I was able to dump half a pallet of lettuce that was refused at a delivery somewhere else. Thank you very much. Edit: lots of space for an 18 wheeler to get in and out.”