Volunteer Dr. Heidi Larson checks a list as she gathers items for a boy in fifth grade on Nov. 27 at Maine Needs in Portland. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Dr. Heidi Larson had already filled the large bag in her hands with a pair of sneakers and three pairs of pants. She bee-lined for a basket of colorful knit hats and added one to her pile.

“That’ll make him smile,” she said.

Larson is a regular volunteer at Maine Needs in Portland. This nonprofit aims to get people the things they need in the most efficient way possible. Service providers of all kinds – caseworkers and nurses and teachers – send requests to Maine Needs for specific items. Volunteers then fill those requests with donated items, and the service providers deliver them to their clients or students or patients.

On this Wednesday morning, Larson was working on a request for a fifth-grade boy. Technically, the knitted hat wasn’t on the list from his teacher, but Larson always likes to add a little something extra – a book, a small game, a new toothbrush.

“For me, that’s the connection that says, ‘A human packed this for you,’ ” she said.

Maine Needs started with a Facebook group in 2019. In 2020, founder Angela Stone opened the donation center on Forest Avenue. But the nonprofit has expanded into every possible corner there and long since reached its capacity. In that time, the group has filled more than 36,000 requests with more than 900,000 items. So Maine Needs is moving next year to a new location four times the size.

“Literally, we just can’t keep up with the demand in this tight, small space,” Stone said.

Volunteers Debbie Goldberg, left, and Dr. Heidi Larson fill bags with items at Maine Needs in Portland. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

In the early days, the inbox might have had a backlog of 50 requests. In recent months, that number has increased to 250. Hundreds of emails arrive every week, and hundreds of volunteers try to fill them. But Maine Needs does not have enough room for the number of people or items needed to actually clear the pileup.

“I don’t feel like we really have been given a choice in the matter,” Stone said. “I don’t think we’re able to keep up with our mission, and we’re not able to turn over the requests as quickly as we once did. We used to sometimes get a request in the morning and fulfill it in the afternoon, and now it’s more like four to seven days. And that’s a space issue.”

A SAMPLING OF REQUESTS

From the Maine Needs inbox:

“Requesting winter garments (hats, gloves, etc.) for a 7-year-old girl (XXS, XS, 6T).”

“Hello, I want to request diapers size 2 and wipes and feeding bottles.”

“Good afternoon! I am hoping to request the following items: Men’s size large longjohns, men’s size 34×32 jeans, men’s size XL hoodies, men’s large underwear, men’s large winter gloves, men’s socks.”

“I have a female patient looking for sweaters (large), a lite jacket (large), socks, and hoping for toys for a 9-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, and a 19-month-old toddler.”

“Nine-month girl needs: winter clothes (size 6-9 mo), snowsuit, PJs, diapers size 3. Newborn boy: clothing, crib sheets, onesies, PJs.”

“I am reaching out to request a kids size 10/12 winter jacket for a female student.”

“I’m looking for the following for my client … residing in the Riverside shelter. A bag to hold his items is paramount as he doesn’t have storage, only a small backpack filled with what items he currently has. 1 pair of pants 32×32 jeans, khaki or cargo would all work. 1 large T-shirt. 1 large hooded sweatshirt. 1 backpack or bag.”

“We have a request for a family we are working with: Children’s cups, plates and silverware. Developmentally appropriate toys. 2 arts-and-crafts kits. Hygiene kits for adult female, adult male and 1 preschool-aged child. Pull ups size 7. Diapers size 5. Wipes. Cleaning supplies.”

“I wanted to put in a request for a family that needs pillows for their children’s beds.”

“Shampoo. Conditioner. Body wash. Towels.”

“One of my patients is in need of waterproof/winter boots for her children and herself.”

A BIGGER NEED

The explosion of requests this fall has multiple causes. Awareness of Maine Needs has spread on social media and word of mouth. Colder temperatures always come with an increase in expensive but essential items such as gloves, hats and boots. But people are also feeling the squeeze of inflation, the high cost of housing and groceries.

Debbie Goldberg adds to a pile of bags awaiting pickup at Maine Needs in Portland. The organization is running out of room and will be expanding to a new space on outer Congress Street. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

“Many times, it feels dire,” Stone said. “But also, it feels like we can help.”

So Maine Needs will move early next year to a 16,000-square-foot space at 2385 Congress St. in Portland. Stone said the expansion will allow the nonprofit to bring more volunteers into the space on any given day. It will have room for more back stock of popular items, such as cleaning and hygiene products. It will allow Maine Needs to buy, accept and give more specialty items, such as Halloween costumes, prom dresses or sports equipment.

The organization also spends $500,000 a year on goods such as tents for unhoused people, winter boots and toilet paper. Right now, it is trying to raise $1.5 million to help cover overhead costs and stock the new space for years to come.

‘IT’S LIKE CHRISTMAS’

On a recent Wednesday, the small lobby was made more crowded by a big shipment. Madeline Backman of Yarmouth helped her 6-year-old daughter, Pepper, open the boxes to reveal an extremely hot item this time of year.

“What have you got?” Backman asked.

“Boots,” Pepper shouted, excited.

Backman, 41, said they started volunteering in 2021. She likes to fill requests for kids and turn to her daughter for help: “Pepper, what would you want?”

“The first time I volunteered here, it was cool to very quickly and directly help people,” Backman said.

Pepper Backman, 6, unpacks coats from a box at Maine Needs in Portland. Backman was volunteering with her mom, Madeline. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Lydia MacDonald, 28, works as a kindergarten teacher and volunteers as a shift leader at Maine Needs. In the back room, she worked to fill a bulk request for more than two dozen families. She was thrilled to find enough sets of soft towels for everyone – freshly laundered, recently donated, wrapped in pretty gold ribbon.

“It’s a jackpot moment,” she said.

Debbie Goldberg, 64, is always struck by how many people need basics that others take for granted – deodorant, a warm blanket. When she can’t find an item in the donation center, she often roots around in her own closets in Gorham to see if she can source that missing thing. She loves to be able to fill a person’s entire request.

“It’s like Christmas,” she said.

To contribute to Maine Needs, visit givebutter.com/maineneedscapacity