YARMOUTH, Maine — A group of Maine teenagers are doing their part to help Mainers through the pandemic by helping those from away.
Aidan Stark-Chessa, Owen Stefanakos and Seamus Woodruff founded Procure Maine last month—a concierge and delivery service aimed at getting everything from take-out to supplies to groceries straight to your door.
The service used by residents and at-risk individuals is also designed to help tourists abide by the 14-day quarantine rule when applicable or avoid crowded stores. Stefanakos said it is intended to keep visitors and locals safe.
"They are being much safer than they would be without us,” he said. “So I think the thought is we're having a positive impact on anyone we do end up helping."
Procure Maine relies on customers texting, calling, or emailing their orders.
They have delivered farm fresh produce, bicycles, patio chairs, lobster, and everything in between.
The group wakes up early every morning to split up duties, go shopping, and deliver the products within 24 hours, sometimes even on the same day.
“We wanted to be able to have a thing that would replace a normal job. This both did that well and had the potential to help a lot of people stay safe,” Stark-Chessa said.
The business is gaining more and more customers by the day after it was featured in The Boston Globe.
They even established an L.L.C. and designed a website to help gain a greater following. Recently, they partnered with two elderly housing facilities.
"It's really awesome trying to start something and have it go somewhere,” Woodruff said.
The three young men use masks and gloves to go shopping and make deliveries using their own cars across the Midcoast, Sebago Lake region, and Southern Maine.
You can find more information at procuremaine.com or contact them by email at aidan@procuremaine.com or phone at (207) 295-3507.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus-covid-19