08/19/2025
We’ve had so many new friends join us recently, and we realized it’s time to reintroduce ourselves and share our story.
First, a common misconception: we don’t live in Sanford, and we aren’t a large organization with a big office or warehouse (though we wish we did!). The truth is, It Takes a Village 207 is run by a small but mighty team: a mother (Journey 66 ), daughter (Becky 47), and granddaughter (Gracie, 10).
We began this work in 2020 after seeing so many local needs going unmet. Having been in difficult circumstances ourselves, we know what it feels like to struggle (and to face judgment while asking for help). We promised ourselves our program would always come with compassion, understanding, and zero judgment.
🩵Our Mission
“Maine Neighbors, Helping Maine Neighbors with Life’s Challenges.”
We aim to be the “village” that helps families and individuals get back on their feet while making them feel seen, valued, and cared for with zero judgement .
🩵What We Do
Help with financial hardship, housing insecurity, domestic violence, substance use recovery, food insecurity, and more.
Provide clothing, winter gear, school supplies, and holiday assistance.
Support families with emergency needs such as heating fuel, appliances, and home repairs.
Run a large annual Christmas program serving over 240 local children.
Host weekly outreach in Sanford with hot meals, desserts, to-go bags, clothing, resources and essentials.
🩵Why Sanford?
This is our most frequently asked question. Many assume we live in Sanford, but our home base is in Limington. When we launched our weekly outreach in January of 2023 & first tried Portland, but quickly learned that many services already existed there. We then went to Biddeford & Westbrook, but after reconnecting with our childhood roots in Sanford, & journey already having years of prior outreach in Sanford, we decided to visit.
What we found shocked us: people everywhere without housing…in parks, tunnels, and makeshift encampments. At the time, Sanford had a peer center offering support, but we learned it was being forced to close within two weeks. With nowhere else for people to turn, we knew immediately that Sanford was where we needed to plant our roots. We started in Sanford on March 1, 2023.
One thing I like to always talk about with our outreach is, we don’t just serve a meal and leave. We get to know every single person that we serve on an intimate basis and work hard to build rapports. Many of our friends become family who we see and speak to several times for a week. We get to know each story, and work hard to provide individualized resources. These aren’t strangers that we feed. These are our friends and community members who are at their lowest and often are facing judgment, and our job is to show unconditional support.
🩵How Outreach Grew…
We started small, just Journey & I driving around Sanford with sandwiches, fruit, and a few essentials in the back of an SUV. One memory stands out: a man ate his sandwich so quickly that Becky hadn’t even pulled out the second one yet because he hadn’t eaten in days. That moment confirmed how urgent the need was. One day a man (who’s feet we will never forget) cried with a new pair of socks.
From there, we set up in a parking lot with a small canopy, a crockpot, snacks, and water. Word spread quickly, and soon we were serving 60-80 unhoused friends every week. Over time, we were moved from location to location (not by choice) from encampments, to Gateway Park, Central Park, & to now our weekly home at St. George's Episcopal Church - Sanford, Maine in Sanford.
Today, our Wednesday outreach serves up to 65 friends with full meals, sides, desserts, drinks, and essentials such as clothing, sleeping bags, weekly socks, & more But it doesn’t stop there, we also welcome community partners and professionals who bring vital resources. Among our current volunteers are:
Certified recovery coaches
Nurses and a doctor
Social workers
A litigation specialist
Case managers
Housing Navigators
A Reverend
And many dedicated neighbors who simply want to help
🩵128 Weeks and Counting
This week marked our 128th consecutive week showing up for our neighbors in Sanford. In all that time, we’ve never missed a week (until this week) so we can take a short break to regroup & replenish needed supplies. However, our team has folks out there multiple times a week.
That’s the strength of the “village” we’ve built together.
🩵Looking Ahead
We still dream of opening an “It Takes a Village 207 Community Center” a space where families in crisis can find emergency essentials, support services, and hope. We imagine a warehouse with storage for donated items, a birthday nook for parents to pick out gifts, and a safe, welcoming space for those starting over after hardship.
For now, we continue operating from our home and five storage lockers across Cornish, Hollis, and Limington. Each is dedicated to specific needs: outdoor gear, clothing, shoes, or toys for our holiday program. It may not be glamorous, but it allows us to keep serving our community every single week.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Together, we are proof that it really does take a village. 💙
With love & gratitude,
Becky, Journey & Gracie
Some fun facts; in 2024, we were recognized as third best nonprofit in Maine and in 2025 we got second best nonprofit in Maine!! In 2024, we (it technically went to Becky) but it is the work of it takes a village who won one of the top 20 Outstanding Woman of Maine.
In 2025 we received the “Shining Bright” award.
We have some articles about who we are too :
2025: https://m.soundcloud.com/coast931/20-outstanding-women-rebecca-jackson-6 =0:00
2025: https://www.wmtw.com/article/nonprofit-it-takes-a-village-207-helps-unhoused-residents-in-sanford/64199243
2025: https://coast931.com/twenty-outstanding-women/rebecca-jackson-20-outstanding-women-of-2025/
2023: https://lifestyles.thewindhameagle.com/2023/09/it-takes-village-207-makes-difference.html?m=1
2023: https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/outreach/maine-nonprofit-helping-unhoused-veterans-break-the-cycle-memorial-day/97-b3813493-f24b-4e7a-9c06-8ac35bd46ea2
Gracie’s 1st rally 🩵 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16pQmjmv4a/?mibextid=wwXIfr
If you have any questions, always ask and we’ll be happy to answer 🙂 pi
