Supported by a four-year grant awarded by the Maine Department of Education, the LCOC 21ST CCLC programs are offered after school and throughout the summer.
These programs emphasize literacy, STEM learning, environmental education and community service, fostering a child’s sense of their own potential and empowering them to be an active participant in their learning journey.
To learn more about this program and how you can support education for kids in our community, visit our 21st Century Learning page.
The LCOC offers a dedicated Teen Space for youth in our community. Generously funded by Machias Savings Bank in 2024, this space offers youth in our community a safe and welcoming space to gather, learn and relax.
In 2025-2026 teen programming will expand to include a weekly music circle, a monthly game night, a Skateboard Club and weekly Bake and Take sessions in our community kitchen. For the safety and security of teens and staff, we ask that all teens be registered with our office.
Stay tuned for special announcement of a new Summer Enrichment program for youth in grades 6-8 launching in 2025. Our Roots and Wings Program will offer our older kids experiential learning, field trips and social engagement fun; while also offering youth the opportunity to be part of the Chore Crew, an effort that will support the needs of seniors in our community while offering our youth a stipend for service.
The LCOC Food Pantry is a free choice pantry offering food resources to our community on the 2nd Saturday each month from 9:30am – 12pm.
While the LCOC does accept donations of fresh or non-expired nonperishable food, the majority of pantry offerings are obtained through fundraising and direct purchase.
The LCOC Thrift Store is a beloved community resource and hub, offering clothing, household items and treasures year-round. Monies raised from Thrift Store donations are used to support the purchase of food for our Food Pantry.
The LCOC is proud to offer children’s clothing and toys to families at no charge.Donations to the Thrift Store are accepted by appointment. For more info, contact our office at 207-733-5262.
Our Common Threads Studio offers experienced and new crafters a welcoming space to learn, create and gather.
Sewing machines, weaving looms, spinning wheels and more are available for use by community members; in addition, the studio boasts a wide variety of fabrics, threads and yarns for use in our studio space.
The Common Threads Studio is currently open to the public on Wednesdays from 3pm – 5pm and Saturdays from 9am – 12 noon.
The LCOC is a proud partner to a growing number of organizations throughout Washington County who offer learning resources and support for adults at our center. These include:
Washington County Adult & Community Education: Offering HiSET Testing and Tutoring, HS Diploma and College Transition classes, ESL classes and Workforce Training for certification in BHP, PSS, CAN, CCMA, CRMA and more. For information call 207-255-4917 or email washingtoncounty.maineadulted.org
National Digital Equity Center: The NDEC provides people at all levels the expertise needed to mobilize broadband technologies through digital inclusion, literacy efforts, education, resource planning, funding research, infrastructure leveraging and stakeholder engagement. The NDEC offers virtual and onsite learning through the LCOC. To learn more, visit the Digital Equity Center Website HERE.
The LCOC recognizes that older adults in our rural community benefit from opportunities to gather and share the company of others.
Light Bites Social: A weekly potluck and gathering for adults ages 60 and up, the social is hosted by the LCOC every Saturday morning from 10am – 11:30 am from October to May. The LCOC provides good coffee and a limited supply of breakfast friendly nibbles; as funding is limited, attendees are asked to bring along something to share when/if possible. Good food, good friends and good company- all aimed at making winter mornings a little brighter.
The LCOC Community Room is open for older adults Monday to Friday from 10am – 2pm from October – June. Coffee and tea are available; comfortable seating, games, and free Wi-Fi available.
The LCOC is dedicated to providing our community with information and access to health resources.
Community Caring Collaborative: Through its partnership with our center, the CCC provides access to home medical equipment for our community members to borrow when the need arises. Equipment includes:
Wheelchairs
Medical beds and bedside tables
Shower stools and seats
Walkers, canes and crutches
Individuals wishing to submit a request for home medical equipment are asked to work directly with the CCC by calling (207) 255-7786 or emailing support@connectioninitiative.org
The LCOC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in October, 2012. Our mission is to remove barriers and improve the lives of people who live, learn, work and play in Lubec, Maine.
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Diane has just started her working journey with LCOC and provides administrative support to the Executive Director and the LCOC. She has spent her career in the non-profit sector as a Preschool Teacher and Director of a nature-based preschool program and is a self-taught naturalist. Diane is passionate about supporting non-profit work and the communities they serve.
Since moving to Lubec, Diane began hearing about the Lubec Community Outreach Center and became very interested in being a part of it someday. She jumped at the chance to be a support to an organization that offers so much to the community and she is learning something new every day!
She and her husband have been in Washington County since 2021 when they began building their own log home (still in progress!) and they moved to Lubec in 2023. When she isn’t at the LCOC, she enjoys hiking, fishing, kayaking and motorcycling with her husband.
I have been bought in since Day One because of the slack they were picking up in the community. There were no local options. Integral programs for families such as Summer Recreation, Day Care and After School Programming had been unfunded and left many families having to choose between working and staying home with their children, and I was one of them. Personally, I was able to overcome the challenge but many were not. I felt compelled to help these families, somehow. It wasn’t long that this little non-profit funded primarily by private donors emerged and provided much needed hope for many. I started my journey to “help” by getting on the school board, primarily to support LCOC. After one term, I decided I was more passionate about the organization itself, thought I could help make more of a difference there, and then asked to be on the Board in 2015.
The mission was always to do more than children’s programs and that has happened every single year. Fast forward to 2024 we have a warm, inviting and thriving building and organization that provides SO much to the Lubec Community and beyond. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this organization.
Vanessa is a powerful force in whatever she puts her mind to and uses that positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to be their best. This makes her a perfect fit for the LCOC 21st Century Community Learning Center program; and the kids couldn’t be happier to have her sailing the ship!
She has lived in Maine her entire life and currently resides in Whitneyville with her boyfriend and two dogs. Vanessa is a proud mother and memaw, who loves to spend time hiking or just hanging out with her son and grandson. Fun Facts about Vanessa- she played semi-professional Roller Derby, owned a Bakery and currently owns Playful Pines Adventures.
Patsy Kelley is the mastermind, organizer and overseer of the LCOC Thrift Shop. Keeping donations flowing, stocking shelves with new treasures and knowing what her regular customers are looking for makes our Thrift Shop one of the hotspots for the discerning Lubec shopper.
Patsy joined the LCOC team as a grant funded position with the Association for Training and Development. Knowing that the grant funding was just the starting point for this position, the LCOC Board and Director knew they needed to keep her on as staff. And we are so glad we did.
If you take a deep look into the daily operations at the LCOC, you will find some really organized programs and spaces; at the heart of keeping us organized is CS Cain, our Operations Coordinator.
We suspect a big piece of her “can-do” and “get it done” persona can be attributed to being the 5th of 7 children of a career Army Officer. This has been further confirmed by all our interactions with CS’ siblings, each of whom arrives at our door with a smile, and a willingness to help (even when on vacation).
CS had a decades long career in IT. She and her husband Jim purchased property here in Lubec in 2018, and moved here permanently in 2020.
The plan was for CS to enjoy retirement but in the summer of 2022 she began volunteering at the LCOC. In 2023, we made it official and hired her as permanent staff.
CS is always ready to lend a hand in all programs, but her heart is deeply rooted in the work supporting our neighbors with the LCOC Food Program.
Jennifer likes to tell people she serves as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer for the LCOC. From grant writing, to teaching, to administration to cooking up senior breakfasts, Jennifer can be found up and down the halls of the LCOC almost every day. While she hails from Rhode Island, Maine has been a retreat and rescue for her throughout a 30-year career in nonprofit management. Jennifer has held senior positions in healthcare, historic preservation, conservation and nonprofit leadership training.
“I came to this work at the LCOC because I saw need and opportunity in equal measure. My goal is to meet the need but always strive to increase the opportunity- for resources and for new ways to come together as a community wherever and whenever we can.”
Jennifer is the proud mother of two daughters; and doting dog mom to Riley Roo and Sir Ned.
