pbs newshour weekend's christopher booker has more. >> reporter: under normal circumstances, in lateober, rclays center in brooklyn, new york would most likely be starting the n.b.a. season. as we all know, circumstances are not normal. but, at least for the next couple of days, the barclays center will be bringing people back inside.a not fome, but to cast their vote. >> this will be the largest public event that we've had here at barclayer since we shut down back in march. >> reporter: john abbamondi is the c.e.o. of b.s.e.l, the company that manages the barclays center. >>tt just became very appar to us that there was a real need for the ty to open up more voting places, more early voting places. and we had this magnificent facility here, lots of sare footag as you could ll, very, very centrallyocated. >> reporter: this all comes in part after the summer saw organized and sustained calls for police rorm following the death of george floyd. abbandi says barclays approached the new york board of elections in june afotests erupted around the city. other stadiums across theco try beca

newshour weekend's christopher booker reports on what is being done to help fill in the gaps. >> reporter: meal preparation for the preble streeresource center in portland, maine, is a big production-- chopping vegetables, cooking s, assembling sandwiches by the hundreds. >> we're going to do over a million meals in 2020, which is mind blowing tus. >> reporter: a million meals in 2020? >> yeah, a million meals >> reporter: in their 35 years, the homeless and low-income support ceer has never had to make this many meals. mark swann is the executive director. i ean, we feel pretty good about keeping people from starving, but we are also soial workers. so, we're trying to get people, get the people who are sleeping outside into shelters, accessible shelters any way we can. inwe are trying to find ho we're trying to offer eatment options for people with substance use disorder. we're trying to help people reconnect with families. but maine winters arharsh, and we got to do something right now to be ready. >> reporter: like every other organization during the pandemic, prebble street has had to

newshour weekend's christopher booker has our story. >> reporter: october is a funny siness in maine.m days and cold nights; new england's northern tip offers a confusing waltzth betweeseasonal past and what's to come. but this october is particularly difficult to read. after a summer nearly cancelled by the pandemic, the fall is offering portland a few extra ances at economic recovery. but winter is coming, and the brief resumption of business made possible by warmer ather, and outdoor space, is in its final days. >> well, if we continue to get weather like this, we'll be in pretty good shape. but it's portland, and we know that that won't cont.ue for too lo ganization that works toprofit support and promote 400 local independent and small businesses. >> we surveyed members during the height of what would normally be the busy season, and about a third of them said they were considering permanently closing. r orter: considering closing because this past summer was not really summer at all. normally, the summer season helps rry businesses through the slower winter months, but july and