Our Story

Primarily undocumented seafood-processing, agricultural and hospitality industry workers, Latine immigrants are the backbone of Maine’s booming tourist and export economies. While Latines make up the largest percentage of minorities in Maine, we face some of the harshest living conditions in our state, even within communities that are highlighted in national publications as #1 Places to Visit in the United States.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we watched in horror as supermarket shelves emptied, personal protective equipment was nowhere to be found, and community social services shut their doors. The public schools systems closed, and with them, so did the largest supplier of meals to many immigrant families. Our organizers activated, seeking answers and an emergency response plan from the schools and other local institutions. Our cries for help fell on deaf ears.

Unwilling to allow our community to go without the resources it deserved, we designed and launched the Food Brigade, a mutual aid response providing door-to-door food delivery to anyone in need. Within a few weeks of launching, we were delivering fresh, culturally relevant food to over 2500 members of our community.  

In late 2020 we broke ground on our Outdoor Learning Center and Food Hub. Through this space, we aim to restore cultural foodways and our rightful place as land stewards. We turned a once overgrown pasture into a two acre vegetable farm, a medicinal herbs and plants sanctuary, and a mixed fruit orchard where we host gatherings, commune over meals, share the harvests, and relearn ancestral food growing practices.

In the years since, we’ve continued to uplift and advocate for thousands of people in Greater Portland and the surrounding areas. Our services are fast, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the immediate needs of our community. Presente’s work emphasizes the importance of identifying root causes, tailoring programs to address the community’s specific needs, and connecting individuals facing similar challenges within the community. Our core strength lies in maintaining consistent communication with the community and adapting programs in real-time to address evolving needs.