In Ellsworth, Maine, where low winter temperatures average well below freezing, Healthy Acadia operates an overnight warming center for unhoused and unsafely housed community members to rest with warmth and nourishment during the coldest five months of the year.

But that’s just a small part of what this nonprofit community health coalition does.

Throughout Washington and Hancock counties, Healthy Acadia collaborates with hundreds of partners to “make health happen.” For people from birth through older ages, it delivers diverse, urgently needed community resources and services that include healthy food, nutrition education, housing support, mental health services, recovery support, tobacco and substance-use prevention, youth engagement, resilience and mindfulness offerings, healthy aging programs, and more.

Genesis helped Healthy Acadia purchase a commercial building five minutes from downtown Ellsworth to create a hub for multiple community health programs. While it will be fully operational by the end of 2024, staff and volunteers have already begun offering a host of needed health programs in the building and on the property, including produce distribution to food security partners, nutrition education programming, tai chi classes, substance recovery coaching and other community trainings, and much more.