#Maine #CoolingCenters: Find a spot near you

As temperatures rise, communities across Maine open cooling centers to keep residents safe from the elements.
Author: NEWS CENTER Maine Staff
Published: 12:49 PM EDT June 22, 2025
Updated: 3:22 PM EDT June 23, 2025

AUGUSTA, Maine — "Summer has arrived in Maine, bringing rising temperatures and longer days. But when the heat becomes dangerous or oppressive, community cooling centers help support those who need an escape from the heat and humidity.

"The centers are often located in public spaces, such as recreation centers or libraries. They typically open for short-term purposes.

"While the primary purpose is to save lives by getting people out of potentially dangerous heat conditions, cooling centers may also provide charging stations, showers, or food.

"The latest listings for cooling centers are on the Maine Emergency Management Agency's [#MEMA] website. We've included a roundup here as well as additional resources to help you stay safe this summer when temperatures rise.

Androscoggin County

#AuburnME

Community Resource Center
121 Mill St.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or later) Tuesday, June 24
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 25

Auburn

Auburn Senior Community Center
48 Pettengill Park Road
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

Auburn

Hasty Gymnasium at Auburn Recreation
48 Pettengill Park Road
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June

Auburn

Auburn Public Library
49 Spring St.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25

#DurhamME

Durham Eureka Community Center
606 Hallowell Road
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#LisbonME

Lisbon Police Department
300 Lisbon St.
Open as needed 24/7

#PolandME

A.B. Ricker Memorial Library
1211 Maine St.
9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, June 23-24
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, June 25-26
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27

#TurnerME

Turner Fire & Rescue
19 General Turner Hill Road
Available as needed

Aroostook County

#CaribouME

Caribou Wellness Center
55 Bennett Drive
6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cumberland County

#BridgtonME

Bridgton Community Center
15 Depot St.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#GorhamME

Baxter Library
71 South St.
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 23
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#PortlandME

#PortlandPublicLibrary
5 Monument Square
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#ScarboroughME

#ScarboroughPublicLibrary
48 Gorham Road
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Friday
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday

Kennebec County

#AugustaME

Augusta Civic Center, Cumberland Room
76 Community Drive
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#WatervilleME

Waterville City Hall Annex
46 Front St.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

Knox County

#RocklandME

#RocklandPublicLibrary
Rockland City Hall
Flanagan Community Center
Open during "normal business hours"

#SouthThomaston

Public Library (former Gilford Butler School)
54 Spruce Head Road
Noon to 4 p.m. Monday, June 23
Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25

#UnionME

Union Town Office
567 Common Road
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

Lincoln County

#BoothbayHarborME

Boothbay Harbor Town Office
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24
8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 25

#DamariscottaME

Central Lincoln County YMCA
575 Maine St.
5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 23-27

#NewcastleME

Newcastle Fire Station Community Room
86 River Road
Closes at 7 p.m. Monday, June 23

Oxford County

#CantonME

Town of Canton Meeting Room
94 Turner Street
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
8 a.m. to noon Tuesday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday
8 a.m. to noon Friday

Piscataquis County

#DoverFoxcroftME

Dover-Foxcroft Town Office, Community Room
48 Norton Avenue
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

Sagadahoc County

#TopshamME

Topsham Municipal Building, Russel Room
100 Main St.
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

York County

#AlfredME

Parsonsfield Town Office
634 North Road
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25

#BerwickME

Berwick Fire Department
3 Public Safety Way
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#BiddefordME

#McArthurLibrary
270 Main St.
9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#BuxtonME

Buxton Town Office
185 Portland Road
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#KennebunkME

Kennebunk Free Library
112 Main St.
9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#KennebunkportME

Church on the Cape
3 Langsford Road
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

Kennebunkport

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library
18 Maine St.
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#LebanonME

North Lebanon Second Baptist Church
259 Bakers Grant Road
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 24

#LimingtonME

Limington Municipal Complex
425 Sokokis Ave.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, June 23-24

#NorthBerwickME

D.A. Hurd Library
51 High St.
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 23
1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25

#SacoME

Saco Community Center
75 Franklin St.
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#WaterboroME

Waterboro Town Hall
24 Townhouse Road
Noon to 5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, June 23-24

Waterboro

#WaterboroPublicLibrary
187 Main St.
Noon to 8 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, June 23-24

#YorkME

York Public Library
15 Long Sands Road
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25

#HomelessShelters

"State and local resources are available for people who are experiencing homelessness or are in need of housing or heating support. Link below for more information.

"For direct assistance to find resources available near you, dial 211 or call 1-877-463-6207; text your ZIP code to 898-211; or email info@211maine.org.
What are the risks?

"According to the Maine Emergency Management Agency, heat-related illnesses in the state more often occur when temperatures reach the mid-80s or higher.

“Heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person's body temperature rises faster "

Source:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/cooling-centers-heat-stroke-exhaustion-mema-emergency-short-term-shelter/97-d2ddaac2-bbea-4dc8-833f-c78e7dc788f4

MEMA list of Cooling Centers:
https://www.maine.gov/mema/response-recovery/mass-care

Emergency shelters for the #Unhoused:
https://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/homeless/emergency-shelters

#MEWx #ExtremeHeat #MaineWx #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Heatwave #Heatwaves #StayingCool #MaineClimateDiary #ClimateDiary
#Heatwave #Heatwaves #Maine #CoolingCenters #StayCool #CommunityResources

ICE Raid Resources - Housing Not Handcuffs
https://housingnothandcuffs.org/iceraidresources/

> ICE is now targeting homeless people. This inhumane directive is just one page of the Trump administration’s anti-Black, anti-homeless, anti-migrant, anti-trans and anti-poor agenda.

#ICE #Raid #HomelessShelters #Immigrants #Homelessness #USPol

With less funding and more hunger, a #DentonTX #CommunityGarden still wants to grow and feed more

By Lucinda Breeding-Gonzales Staff Writer Mar 14, 2025

"Friends of Shiloh Field Community Garden always plans to harvest more crops for its local partner #FoodPantries and #HomelessShelters. This year, the community garden’s board chair said the volunteer-run farm expects more people to need the food they grow.

"'Every year we try to outdo ourselves,' said Christina Proctor, the chair of the board for Friends of Shiloh Garden, the nonprofit that operates the community garden. 'We always anticipate making more than we did the last year. Talking to the #FoodBanks and they tell us every year that we have increased the number of requests for food for us. Ever since 2020, it just keeps going up.'

"Food banks across the country saw both hunger and food insecurity spike when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses and closed offices, shedding workers and leaving families without paychecks. Inflation and rising costs have kept some families strapped and struggling to feed their families. And as North Texas has grown, problems such as hunger, homelessness and food insecurity have grown with it.

"The immediate future for hungry Texans of all ages looks grim. But recent cuts are affecting children greatly. The School Nutrition Association reported Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture [#USDA] announced it would cut the $660 million #LocalFoodForSchools program for 2025.

"Politico, citing a spokesperson for the USDA, reported that the department also cut the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. The program would have funded about $500 million this year to support food banks.

"For the second year in a row, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission opted not to participate in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer [#EBT] program, which would have paid $120 per eligible child for families already receiving food benefits through the summer months.

"The program is meant to fill the gap left when public schools are on summer break, and children who qualify for free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch are vulnerable to greater food insecurity. The commission opted out of the program when the state Legislature didn’t move to allocate the money needed to get the program up and running on Monday.

"Denton residents learned this week that Lovepacs Denton, a nonprofit that gives food to Denton ISD students to get them through school breaks and long weekends, will close after the school year ends in May.

"#Austerity is impacting state and local assistance services all at once. Celia Cole, the CEO of Feeding Texas, said that cuts to programs like this not only put more Texans at risk for hunger, but they also reduce stimulus spending that benefits the state’s farms. Feeding Texas is a network of 20 food banks that feed hungry Texans and advocates for policies that prevent hunger. Cole said the Summer EBT funding could have fed Texas children and teenagers last year.

"'The first opportunity that Texas had to run the program would have been in summer of 2024, and we missed out on it because, I think really more than anything, was that Texas Health and Human Services Commission ... had so much else on their plate with #Medicaid unwinding,' Cole said. 'They were facing really serious backlogs and getting people enrolled in Medicaid.'

"Then, as the deadline for summer of 2025 got nearer, Cole said, it became clear that the commission would need money from the state to administer the program. Monday was the deadline for the Legislature to allocate the funds. Cole said programs like Feeding Texas will have to stretch their resources and be strategic with funding and food.

"For Denton nonprofits, leaders are preparing to do the same. The Friends of Shiloh Garden is keeping close tabs on costs. Proctor said seeds aren’t as costly as donors might think, but over the last two summers, water costs have soared.

"'Our biggest expense in production is water,' she said. 'We’ve been very blessed that Denton Bible Church has been helping us subsidize our water bill by giving us some money to help offset that cost.'

"In 2023, when Denton saw about 55 days of triple-digit heat, Proctor said water costs were almost too much.

"'That was the year we almost had too close because it was just so expensive,' Proctor said. 'Our water bills that year were just ridiculous.'

"The operation installed drip irrigation and weed cloth to cover the drip lines and saw savings. But the nonprofit is still looking to serve more people and give its partners more of what they want."

Read more:
https://dentonrc.com/news/local/with-less-funding-and-more-hunger-a-denton-community-garden-preps-to-feed-more-here/article_af069008-00ec-11f0-9ad9-4b23e88d5c9e.html

To support the community garden, www.shilohfield.com for donation and volunteer information.

#CommunityGardens #USDAFundingCuts #USPol #FoodInsecurity #BadDOGE #Hunger #ClimateChange #ExtremeHeat #Texas

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Ted Nugent Drums Up Widely Debunked Claim That Chinese Restaurants Serve Dog Meat
Ted Nugent said something stupid again. Color me shocked.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/06/16/ted-nugent-drums-up-widely-debunked-claim-that-chinese-restaurants-serve-dog-meat/

#TedNugent #BarackObama #ChineseRestaurants #DogMeat #HuntingRights #Racism #AnimalRights #Hunting #Venison #HomelessShelters