Dear Friend,

What a great start to 2024 here at MaineShare- and wow, how fast it is going!

So far this year, we have been planning exciting updates and expansions to MaineShare, we have spent time in collaboration about organizational culture at Maine Initiatives, and we held our first quarterly meeting of the MaineShare Advisory Council. We also have had lively discussions with our nationwide partners at Community Shares USA.

I also have had the pleasure of some great one-on-one conversations with our legacy members, and these visits always leave me inspired and energized. Speaking of inspiration, we were so thrilled and honored to have been the recipient of a fundraiser at MaineHousing, whose staff team raised $693 for MaineShare! (Check out the great photo of the donation presentation below!)

As for myself, I also have exciting news to share-- I was married in December to my person, my love, surrounded by closest family and friends in a woodland chapel frosted in snow. It was a magical weekend with the ones we love and we are so grateful for the love and support that surrounded us. So if you notice my name has changed, that is why-- it is still me! I invite you to keep reading to learn lots more news and updates!

With joy and inspiration,

Amanda Scarpone (she/her/hers), Director of the MaineShare Program

Support MaineShare and our members!

Report on the Build HOPE Project

We are excited to share not only new compelling data, but also some remarkable stories of parents pursuing their goals despite numerous obstacles. The Build HOPE Project, launched by Maine Equal Justice at the start of 2022, has granted flexible funds to nearly 500 parents pursuing postsecondary education as a pathway to economic security. 

Within the framework of the Build HOPE Project, we wanted to conduct research that could deepen our understanding of the challenges faced by parents pursuing education as a pathway out of poverty, and the policy changes needed to support their success. 

Led by the expertise of Drs. Luisa Deprez and Sandra Butler, the resulting comprehensive report not only illuminates the complex realities of these student-parents but also provides essential insights for policymakers and stakeholders working to help forge pathways to economic stability for Maine families. 

Together, let's work towards breaking down barriers and opening pathways so people can be free to live without the weight, stress, and despair of not enough.

Read the full report

Read an executive summary

Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: PFAS

Join Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley for an early morning conversation about the work Friends of Casco Bay has been doing in partnership with Bigelow Laboratory on detecting per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Casco Bay.



On Thursday, March 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. grab a cup of coffee and hop online to hear about Friends of Casco Bay’s ongoing data collection of PFAS in Casco Bay. Whether you’re cozy on your couch, doing your morning routine, or listening on your phone while you walk the dog, join us for this informative event.

What: Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: PFAS

When: Wednesday, March 21, 8:00 to 8:45 a.m.

Where: Zoom, Register here to receive a link to attend

Peace Walk 2024

Maine Veterans for Peace will be participating in Peace Walk 2024, a walk for Peace, Justice, and Democracy that will run from Augusta to Washington, D.C., over the months of April to July. For more information, see www.peacewalk2024.org

Gun Safety Awareness Sabbath

The Maine Council of Churches, the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, and the Maine Gun Safety Coalition participated with houses of worship in Maine from all faith traditions to participate in a “Gun Safety Awareness Sabbath” in February. During

their regularly scheduled worship services, faith communities across the state included prayers for gun safety awareness and prevention of gun violence, and shared information with their congregations about how they can take positive action to reduce the risk of gun violence and increase safety for families and communities throughout Maine.

Organizers of the Gun Safety Awareness Sabbath in Maine stated that their objectives for the event included: unifying people of faith in prayer and inspiring them to take action to ensure that Mainers who own guns do so safely and responsibly; empowering those who sell firearms to protect Maine’s communities from those who are unable to practice safe and responsible gun

ownership; and limit the capacity of guns to inflict mass casualties. This initiative comes in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston last October, and in response to the stark reality that in the last decade, the rate of gun deaths in Maine grew by 20% and the rate of suicide by gun grew 27%.

Indoor and outdoor programming with Maine Audubon

Mud season! It’s hard to predict what March will bring, so Maine Audubon has indoor AND outdoor programming to cover all the bases. 

We’re launching a new monthly program perfect for those new to birding. Come join us in March so that when migration really picks up in April, you’ll be ready. This Accessible Beginner Birding outing is inclusive and accessible for all. We will bird the flat walkways around our buildings at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. We will not walk more than a half-mile and we will only stop where there are places to sit. We’ll have extra binoculars and pointers on how to use them, but will also focus on birding by ear. 

Accessible Beginner Birding

Saturdays, 3/9, 4/6, 5/18 10 am-12 pm

Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth

Free (donations encouraged)

https://maineaudubon.org/news/events/accessible-beginner-birding/

If you’d rather stay indoors, join us online for an informational webinar around climate action. The State of Maine is working on updating its landmark Climate Action Plan, finalized in 2020. Join representatives from Maine Audubon, Maine Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Conservation Law Foundation, and others to learn about where we are and where we’re going with the Climate Action Plan.  Maine’s Climate Action Plan Update: Everything You Need to Know

You can find all indoor and outdoor statewide Maine Audubon events at https://maineaudubon.org/events/

Community Conversations at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center

On March 21, the HHRC will hold the third session in our “Community Conversation” series. While this conversation will draw upon the first two, participants do not need to have attended the earlier sessions in order to participate. In this final session, we will talk about some of the resources available to individuals, schools, and communities to help understand and respond to the increased antisemitism we are seeing in Maine and elsewhere. We will discuss how, when, and why to report what we have seen or experienced. We will also think about other ways to resist and respond: again, drawing from our previous conversation about Jewish resistance. This session will offer participants time to talk about their ideas, experiences with, and feelings about antisemitism in Maine. Click here for more info!

Qualifying family incomes for MaineCare are now higher!

More children and young adults are eligible for MaineCare, as qualifying family incomes for MaineCare are now higher!

MaineCare offers high-quality, free health insurance for children under 21 in eligible households. A family of four earning up to $90,000 per year may be eligible for coverage. Visit MaineCare.gov/kids for more information or call Consumers for Affordable Health Care Consumer HelpLine at 1-800-965-7476 if you need help!

Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC) is proud to be Maine's Health Insurance Consumer Assistance Program. We provide free, confidential assistance screening individuals and families for eligibility and enrollment. We also provide help with MaineCare, screening Mainers with employer-sponsored health insurance for more affordable options through the Marketplace, other health care programs, and appeals assistance.

Analysis on the Pay Gap in Maine

MECEP released a new analysis that documents a large and persistent “pay gap” — the difference in wages earned by state employees and the amount they could earn working similar positions in the private sector or elsewhere in other public-sector jobs outside of Maine State Government — that makes it harder for the state to hire employees and leads to more people quitting for better pay elsewhere. Empty positions mean more work for the remaining workers and poorer delivery of services Mainers depend on.

Click here to read the blog by MECEP Economic Policy Analyst James Myall.

Defend Our Health on Healthy Maine Talks

In January, Adam Nordell, Campaign Manager at Defend Our Health and previous owner of Songbird Farm in Unity, Maine, joined the Healthy Maine Talks podcast to share his experience with severe PFAS contamination on his farm and its impact on his family and livelihood. This podcast comes from Maine Public Health Association. Listen to the episode here!

New Ventures Maine now offering Free Student Loan Repayment Counseling

NVME staff will now offer free Student Loan Repayment Counseling in addition to classes and coaching in financial education. Student Loan Repayment Counseling is for individuals who are struggling to repay student loans or:

• have a loan that is past due or in default
• need assistance choosing a repayment plan
• want to learn about debt consolidation
• have questions about loan forgiveness programs

Individuals can schedule a repayment counseling session in person, online via Zoom, or by phone by

contacting NVME at 207-621-3440 or info@newventuresmaine.org.

Student Loan Repayment Counseling will also include information related to taxes, such as determining eligibility for the Maine Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit.

The new free service is made possible in part by a grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Stopping a polluting mine in the Katahdin region

NRCM is honored to stand with the Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Conservation Law Foundation, Maine Audubon, Earthjustice, local businesses and conservation groups, and more than a thousand Mainers who took action to stop Wolfden Resources’ proposal for a polluting mine in the Katahdin region. This win helps to protect the future of our clean water, habitat for brook trout and Atlantic salmon, supports the outdoor recreation economy, and helps us build the future we want for Maine.



We’ll always stand up to companies that would damage and pollute Maine’s environment for profit. Watch our video here!

Celebrate Earth Day with Sierra Club Maine!

Sierra Club Maine is celebrating Earth Day by getting outside and giving back! Join us Saturday, April 20th* as we clean up our communities and hike Sears Island!

COMMUNITY CLEAN UPS

Calling all volunteers and nature lovers! Would you like to give back by hosting your own Earth Day clean up? If so, please fill out our interest form here and we will promote. If you'd prefer to be an active participant in a clean up, stay tuned for times and locations to come!

SEARS ISLAND HIKE & CLEAN UP

Earth Day is the perfect time to get outdoors to appreciate the beauty of Maine. Join us for our outing on Sears Island on April 20th* from 10am to 1pm! We will hike the island’s various trails, admire the local ecology, and pick up any litter along the way. Register here. 



We look forward to celebrating with you! Follow us on social media for exclusive updates and photos: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. #SCMaineEarthDay *Raindate 4/21

Advancing Digital Equity and 4H Leadership

With the support of Sunrise County Economic Council and the National Digital Equity Center, Mano en Mano is offering Computer Classes at our Milbridge office! The goal of these classes is to help get community members connected to digital skills and devices in order to participate successfully in online spaces and advance digital equity. These classes are free and held in Spanish. If you would like more information or would like to sign up for classes, please call the Mano en Mano office 207 546 3006 or enroll online at the Digital Equity Center website.

Mano en Mano has been partnering with the University of Maine Extension program to support the “Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders,” program. The program aims to produce future leaders and advocates of food production and healthy living through experiential learning opportunities and place- based learning.  In order to center communities that are key to food systems but often not included in decision making spaces, the ultimate goal of the program is to prepare youth from underrepresented communities for careers in the Maine food system and help provide lived-experiences in order to understand the role of food in their daily lives. Learn more here!

Be You Boldly! Conferences

Registration is open for the 2024 Be You Boldly! Conferences, Hardy Girls’ annual day of feminist-filled joy for self-identified girls and nonbinary youth in grades 4-8.

March 25 | Davies Arts Center at Waynflete | 9 AM to 1 PM

March 27 | Diamond Building at Colby College | 9 AM to 1 PM

Be You Boldly! conferences are entirely planned and run by the high school students that participate in Hardy Girls’ Feminist Action Board (FAB) program. FAB members will be facilitating workshops specifically tailored to youth in grades 4 to 8. This year's 12 unique workshops include titles such as Indigenous History of Maine, I Like to Move It Move It, and Get ArtZ. Each workshop provides a safe and supportive space for attendees to meet peers, share ideas and discuss issues most relevant to their lives!

To learn more about the conferences, get involved as a sponsor or volunteer, or register a young person, visit https://hardygirls.org/be-you-boldly.

 Support MaineShare and our members!