ELLSWORTH — Nonprofit organizations that serve Maine people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic have been awarded $1.2 million from the Maine Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and a fund for food security.
The 130 grantees include community and statewide organizations providing basic support such as food, shelter, child care, mental health and domestic violence services. Recipients are determined proactively based on needs around the state; there is no application process.
Area grants were awarded as follows:
Child care: These grants help fund child care for essential workers.
• YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston: $10,000.
• YWCA Central Maine, Lewiston: $5,000.
Food: These grants fund food pantries, meal pickup and delivery services.
• Bethel Area District Exchange and Food Pantry: $6,000.
• Bowdoinham Food Pantry: $7,500.
• Bridgton Food Pantry: $7,500.
• Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry: $8,000.
• Good Shepherd Food Bank, Auburn: $75,000.
• Leeds Community Church (Deacon’s Food Pantry): $7,500.
• Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services, Lewiston: $1,500.
• Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Brunswick: $8,000.
• Oxford Hills Food Pantry, Norway: $6,000.
• Phillips Area Food Pantry: $8,000.
• Richmond Area Food Pantry Incorporated: $7,500.
• SeniorsPlus, Lewiston: $15,000.
• Somali Bantu Community Association, Lewiston: $2,500.
• Southwest Oxford County Nutrition Inc., Brownfield: $6,000.
• St. Mary’s Health System (St. Mary’s Nutrition Center’s Food Pantry), Lewiston: $10,000.
General social service: These grants help to fund agencies providing a broad range services, including food, shelter, child care, mental health, rental assistance, and transportation.
• Catholic Charities Maine: $16,000.
• Community Concepts, Lewiston: $20,000.
The COVID-19 fund began with a $500,000 transfer from an unrestricted MaineCF fund and has grown substantially due to transfers from donors with advised funds at the community foundation and contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.
A complete list of COVID-19 Fund grantees is on available on the foundation’s website, www.maincf.org. [https://www.mainecf.org/initiatives-impact/covid-19-response/covid-19-grants/]
In addition to the $1.2 million issued from the funds for COVID-19 relief and food insecurity, donor giving through MaineCF has increased threefold compared to this period last year: Donors with advised funds at the community foundation have stepped up by making more than $6 million grants since mid-March.
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