We're so grateful to everyone who has helped us reach $40,000 of our $100,000 goal!
We miss seeing you today.
We had originally planned to gather today for our annual Leadership Luncheon, celebrating our grantees and four honorees who have answered a call to action to make a difference in their communities.
But don't worry, we rescheduled the Leadership Luncheon for October 30 (
mark your calendars
)!
Although we miss the opportunity to gather today, let's continue the tradition of coming together to support women and girls! Join us in supporting our
SAFETY FIRST FOR WOMEN FUND
and help our grantees
take action
to
support direct care workers
and
domestic violence survivors
throughout the state. Your donations will provide immediate funding for:
- Advocacy for policy change that supports the needs of Direct Care Workers through a grant to Maine Council on Aging, including working with State and Federal leaders to improve access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing, while quickly building out the existing workforce:
- Local Leadership... Today, elder care facilities are providing more PPE and testing to staff, and towns like Belfast, who have experienced really high infection rates, are advocating and supporting for direct care workers in recognition of the work they are doing to care for elders.
- State Leadership...Today, we applaud the State of Maine who applied for a 1115K waiver last week that will increase direct care worker wages by 10% if approved by the Federal Government.
- Federal Leadership...Today, we thank Senator King for introducing a bill to expand and protect the supply chain for PPE.
- Families experiencing increased Domestic Violence (rates of domestic violence are surging globally) with a grant to the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence to distribute directly to their 9 member organizations and the Wabanaki Women's Coalition who are currently helping women across the State by:
- Providing food for families living in residential programs… Today, somewhere in Maine an advocate will don a mask and gloves and drop off food for the survivors residing in shelter and riding out the pandemic in emergency hotel rooms.
- Supporting survivors to achieve economic self-sufficiency… Today, somewhere in Maine an advocate will talk with a survivor about how to set up a budget, pay their bills and attain economic independence from an abusive partner.
- Guiding survivors through the protection order process… Today, somewhere in Maine an advocate will help a survivor access a court order allowing them to stay safely in their own home, where they can cook meals in peace and gather around their own kitchen table with their children.
- Helping families access benefits…. Today, somewhere in Maine an advocate will help a survivor navigate the complex process of obtaining public benefits for themselves and their children – a process made even more complicated by the current pandemic.
