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“Can Do” Temporarily Suspended

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Can Do, our COS recycling program that has turned thousands of returnable cans and bottles into funds that support numerous COS programs, is taking a pause while we wait for our new location. The building that houses Can Do is being replaced and our new home will not be ready until late Spring 2025. 

Please consider supporting this special fundraising effort and help us maintain Can Do financial contributions until we are back in business. To all the Can Do volunteers and donors, we thank you for all your support – both past and future starting sometime next Spring. 

For more information on how to support please see the Can Do Fundraising page. 

Thank you – the COS “Can Do” Team

COS Stuff the Bus

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The Stuff the Bus Program takes place on election day at polling locations in Arundel, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport. Look for drop-off locations when you come to cast your votes.

The program is supported by community donations, either monetary or non-perishable food items. Food items are organized and sorted by volunteers and then distributed to neighbors in need at the food pantry located in Kennebunk. Monetary donations of cash or check are used to purchase food and household items, often at discounted or wholesale pricing.

The program is made possible through a partnership between the town’s General Assistance offices and Community Outreach Services (COS).

ITEMS NEEDED
Canned tuna, chicken and meats
Cereal, oatmeal
Pancake mix and syrup
Peanut butter, jelly
Crackers, granola bars & juice
Pasta, sauce and condiments
Canned soups and stews
Condiments and salad dressings
Canned fruits and vegetables
Rice and starches (instant potatoes)
Gluten free foods
Household items: paper towels, toilet paper
Pet Food

Monetary donations are also accepted. Checks can be made out to:
Community Outreach Services

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

Holiday Food Baskets 2024

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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 located at 19 Park Street in Kennebunk.

The program is made possible through a partnership between the town’s General Assistance offices and Community Outreach Services (COS). Monetary donations should be made out to:

COS (please put Holiday Food Baskets in memo section of check) and mail 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.

Donations can also be made online at: https://cos.networkforgood.com

Items provided in each food basket 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.

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

Come Tour Our Food Pantry

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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.

COS Has Moved to 19 Park Street

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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.