The Maine Reentry Network's primary direct benefit to Maine's communities and the formerly incarcerated is direct Peer Support informed by our own lived experiences. It is our Partners who enhance our mission by providing practical assistance, services, and support to both our own fellowship as well as other segments of Maine's population.
The Drop-in Center is a place where people experiencing homelessness and those in need can access resources, rest, rejuvenate, and replenish. The Drop-in Center opened in February of 2022 and has served more than 1300 unique guests in the Auburn/Lewiston area. We are open just 2 days per week, but currently help around 250 people each week. We provide breakfast, a hot lunch, free clothing, and free goods from our "store" including toiletries, hats, gloves, mittens, and critical survival gear such as sleeping bags and tents. We opened 3 showers in late 2025 that our unhoused guests can use - the only access to showering for most.
On Wednesdays, several community partners join us to provide services to guests in the areas of case management, health care, harm reduction, mental health, recovery, employment, sexual assault prevention and support, Veterans services, and housing navigation. We have recently begun hosting the Health on Wheels mobile medical unit multiple times per month, as well. In February 2025, we moved from our previous location at the First Universalist Church of Auburn at 169 Pleasant Street to Auburn’s Community Resource Center at 121 Mill Street. Until the kitchen facilities are completed, our friends at Bates College and Davinci’s restaurant have graciously provided regular meals, along with community groups like John F. Murphy Homes, as well as our volunteers. We were exclusively volunteer-operated until July 2025, when we hired a part-time Operations Manager to facilitate the continued growth of the program. We currently have a team of about 70 dedicated volunteers, and always welcome more! Our annual operating costs are approximately $100,000 per year. Let me know if you have any questions!
Jen Eugley began as a volunteer with The Drop-In Center in January 2023 with the intention of making a difference in her city and learning from the different life experiences of those around her. As she built relationships with volunteers and guests, she realized what a unique and vibrant community The Drop-In Center was. So, in July of 2025, when the organization had grown to the point of hiring its first employee, Jen was honored to take on the role of Operations Manager. Without a background in social work, Jen has humbly and gratefully leaned on her connections to other homeless service providers in the region, who share her passion to connect people with the resources they need to thrive. When she isn’t giving out hugs at The Drop-In Center or answering emails, Jen loves to hang out with her two cute sons, watch political satire with her husband, and do introverted things like sewing & journaling.
Deb, who volunteers in the kitchen almost every Wednesday and is the sweetest person you'll ever meet. Ginny, one of the original founders of The Drop-In Center and very passionate about her work here. Mike, a kitchen volunteer with lots of experience in commercial kitchens, plus a joy to be around!
In the photo, from left to right is: Rosanne, our lead store volunteer, who spends hours each week processing donations and keeping everything organized! Lynda, who has the best sense of humor and is so much fun to work alongside. Ken, who volunteers pretty much every day we're open, encourages everyone he sees, and often finishes up his day by picking up trash in the parking lot - no matter the weather
Community Partners Building Strength and Resilience
Our current on-site partners include:
• The Drop-In Center – immediate respite, food and clothing access, and resource navigation
• YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston Food Pantry – addressing food insecurity
• Recovery Connections of Maine – peer-based addiction recovery services
• Spurwink – behavioral health services
• Preble Street – housing stability and rapid rehousing programs
• MEIRS (Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services) – cultural and housing navigation support
• Better Life Partners – mental health and substance use treatment
• Immigrant Resource Center of Maine – Housing stabilization and navigation
Goodwill NNE Workforce Services - Voc Rehab and Work Readiness Bootcamp
Together, these organizations form a coordinated safety net that addresses hunger, homelessness, behavioral health, and reentry challenges while fostering community resilience and individual empowerment.
Rose’s Room is a monthly support group for family and loved ones of incarcerated individuals. Rose’s Room motto is, “Individuals don’t go to prison, whole families go to prison.” These meetings act as a support to loved ones and the person inside of corrections. Formerly incarcerated, community support groups, faith-based organizations, and loved ones share the Rose’s Room space, providing insight and hope that can only come from someone who has been incarcerated and/or helps those when they are released.
Monthly Virtual ZOOM Meetings – First Wednesday, 7:00-8:30 PM
Register: brunoskis317@gmail.com
For more information or to find how you can start your very own Rose’s Room Meeting,
contact Rose at 207-998-2547.
Third Wednesday of Month
7:00-8:30 PM
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
78 Pleasant Street, Auburn
(207) 998-2547 – Rose
Second Wednesday of Month, 6:00-7:00 PM
Parson’s Memorial Library
27 Saco Road, Alfred
(207) 468-3729 – Dave
Last Thursday of Month, 6:30-8:00 PM
St. Joseph Center
80 Garland Road, Winslow
(207) 314-4730 – Lyn
The Maine Association of Recovery Residences (MARR) has developed certification criteria to ensure that people in recovery can experience housing situations that will support their recovery. Many incarcerated individuals are also individuals in recovery (albeit a recovery enforced by facilities that ban substances from entering), and their initial release period is a time of heightened danger of relapse.