Local artist raised funds for COS

It is a beautiful thing when local artists and craftsmen use their talents and skills to support the mission of COS. Previously, local Kennebunk artist John Forssen had arranged with COS and the Kennebunk library to exhibit his work in the Speers Gallery. There were over 20 paintings available for purchase with half the proceeds going to COS.

Kennebunk Library hours:

  • Monday & Tuesday 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
  • Wednesday 12:30 pm – 8:00 pm
  • Thursday & Friday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Saturday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

John’s early work focused primarily on pencil drawings for which he received several awards in local exhibits. In recent years he transitioned to oil painting. John is a member of both the Art Guild of the Kennebunks and Maine Women in the Arts.

Most paintings focus on the details of landscapes and the occasional – but the work is drawn, for the most part, through memories of images past. So, as he says, “a tree is a tree, or perhaps it’s a convergence of trees, bits and pieces” that have remained with him along the way.

If you would like to participate in helping raise funds for COS like John has done, please call us at 207-604-0445. We so appreciate our friends and supporters who help us help those in need.

Holiday Food Baskets

The Holiday Food Basket Program provides Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to families in Arundel, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport.

The program is supported by community donations, which are organized, sorted and compiled by volunteers and then delivered to the homes of those in need or available to pick up at the food pantry, which opened earlier this year in Kennebunk.

The program is made possible through a partnership between the town’s General Assistance offices and Community Outreach Services (COS). Food donations can be brought to the COS Food Pantry, 19 Park Street, Kennebunk – monetary donations should be made out to:

Holiday Food Basket Program c/o COS and mailed to:
Community Outreach Services, Inc.,
PO Box 1175, Kennebunk, ME 04043
* The program is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Items needed for the food baskets include potatoes, onions, boxed stuffing, gravy, canned green beans/peas/corn/fruit, evaporated milk, Jell-O, pudding, pie crust mix, and other non-perishables.

The program has been around since the 1960s, started by individual churches in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and growing with the help of town assistance and health offices as monetary and food donations came in from the broader community.

The baskets will be delivered to those in need on the Monday, in advance of Thanksgiving and the Wednesday, in advance of Christmas.

Anyone interested in helping pack the food baskets can contact Reggie Sargent at 207-281-3111. Items will be packed and delivered from Sea Road Church. Should you wish to help with the delivering of the food baskets, please contact Donna Patterson at 207-651-1997 or call the COS phone number 207-604-0445.

Questions or want to learn more about receiving a food basket – please contact your town General Assistance office or complete this online form.

Come Tour Our Food Pantry

COS Food Drives

COS is so very thankful for all those who have been a part of helping us help our neighbors in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel. We recognize that there is a common thread that weaves us all together; it is the thread of human compassion for our neighbors in need. Your specific and unique piece to this thread has enabled COS to come alongside those with food, fuel, and specific needs for over 30 years.

We were recently blessed, securing the use of our new facility at 19 Park Street in Kennebunk. We would love to have you tour our Food Pantry while it is open for shoppers. 

Our model of operation is not the standard and typical “pick up a box or bag of food packaged by volunteers and off you go.” Rather, it is like shopping at a local small mom & pop grocery store. Our hours are Mondays 12pm – 2pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3pm – 5pm, and Fridays 9am – 12pm. If you would like to visit our Food Pantry during off hours, we would love to have you come then as well. Please contact Mark Jago, our Executive Director, for a tour by contacting him at 985-3844.

Help Us Fill a Holiday Food Basket

As we approach the holidays, we are excited to extend an invitation to those who find themselves in a position to help our neighbors who are in a stressful financial situation this holiday.  The Holiday Food Basket program has been a long-standing successful community cooperative effort and with your help we are excited to make this year a continuation of that success.

Below you will find a list of specific food items that would be helpful over the next several weeks for both Thanksgiving and Christmas deliveries. At the bottom of the page, you will also note where and when you can drop items off. In a time when divisiveness and vitriol are constantly displayed nationwide, we thank you in advance for your willingness to consider helping make this season a time to be truly thankful for a community that cares for each other, in spite of the differences we may have.

Holiday Food Basket Donation Request Information

  • Ham or Turkey (must be frozen, cooked preferred) – Under 10 pounds
  • Hot Dogs, Sausages, Bacon – Any size/amount
  • Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots – Any size/amount
  • Cooked Chicken or Turkey – 12 to 16 oz
  • Cooked Beef, Corned Beef, or Ham – 12 to 16 oz
  • Soup: Chicken Noodle/Rice, Tomato – 10 to 10 oz
  • Chowders: Clam, Corn, or Potato – 14 to 20 oz
  • Stews: Beef or Chicken, Chili – 15 to 24 oz
  • Spaghetti, with Meatballs, Ravioli – 15 to 24 oz
  • Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, or Oranges -15 to 24 oz
  • Instant Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing – 12 to 24 oz
  • Cakes (any kind), Brownies, Cookies, Biscuits – 16 to 24 oz
  • Juice: Apple, Orange, Grape, Cranberry, etc. – 32 to 64 oz
  • Laundry Detergent – 40 to 80 oz
  • Cleaners and Disinfectants – 16 to 32 oz
  • Dish Soap – 16 to 32 oz
  • Masks – reusable or disposable – Any size/amount
  • Toothbrushes & Toothpaste – Any size/amount
  • Dog and Cat Food (dry) – 3 to 5 pound bags
  • Cat Litter – Any size

Drop Information

Food, cash and check donations can be delivered to our new facility located at 19 Park Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043 during our operating hours below.

Mon 12-2pm; Tues 3-5pm; Thurs 3-5pm; Fri 9am-12pm. For other times to drop off donations, please call the Food Pantry office at 985-3844.

To donate online click the “donate now” button below. If you are interested in sending a check, please make checks payable to the address below:




Community Outreach Services
P.O. Box 1175
Kennebunk, ME 04043

Note: We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization under the Internal Revenue Code, and as such, all cash donations are fully tax deductible.

COS Has Moved to 19 Park Street

 

Following the early days of the pandemic, our leadership team had been working tirelessly to confirm a plan for a new location to accommodate the growth of the numbers of community residents that needed assistance, particularly with food. It had been a logistical and scheduling challenge to move from our original location at St. Martha’s Church to Vinegar Hill and finally to our new home location at 19 Park Street in Kennebunk, but our move to our new home finally happened on Labor Day weekend.

With the support of the three towns of Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and their encouragement to see us get our own space, COS is pleased to call home what is our new location at what used to be the old Teen Center on 19 Park Street. With much work and visionary drive from Karen Winton and Chris Osterrieder and support from the Kennebunk Town Manager and Select Board, our dream to have our own home has finally come true. With an incredible construction leadership role from Dave Boyd, the building has been transformed to make our new headquarters a beautiful place to serve the needs of our neighbors in the community.

COS is humbled to have such a strong partnership with the three General Assistance Officers of all three towns and we look forward to being able to serve more now that we have our own home. COS is grateful to have been a part of this community for the last 30-plus years and we look forward to continuing to meet the food, fuel and specific needs challenges of our neighbors. This is a picture of the space with work during the early stages of renovation. 

This video gives you a better view of the finished product. The model of operation we follow is designed so that our neighbors can shop for themselves with the aid of assistant volunteer shoppers and by appointment.