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Community Relief Fund
CRF is a community and BIPoC led, autonomous, mutual aid, and rapid response group. CRF offers support to families who have had their family members taken by ICE or Border Patrol in Wabanakiek (Maine).
Supporting our neighbors
Artist in order of image: 1. Ricardo Levins Morales 2. Unknown 3. N8W 4. Molly Costello
how we started
Community members created this fund after local law enforcement stopped, racially profiled, and called Border Patrol on a young couple resulting in the detention and separation of a father and his niece from their families. Neighbors immediately mobilized to support the family as they faced the sudden loss of their father, the primary provider, and their aunt.
Using social media effectively, organizers quickly spread the word, and the fund surpassed its initial goal within a week, continuing to grow each day. The generosity, compassion, and outrage of both the local and global community empowered organizers to provide the family with significant financial support for legal fees and related expenses.
With the permission of the family, organizers later redirected the ongoing contributions to establish a general fund aimed at helping other local families affected by ICE detention.
To read the original story shared by the impacted family, follow this link to the ongoing donation site: https://donorbox.org/support-impacted-family-in-waldo-county
Our Focus
In addition to your direct contribution to families, we also prioritize several key areas to maximize our impact within the community. In collaboration with other community members and orgs, we do our best to ensure that families receive the most appropriate and effective support.
Bail Support
When bail is available, our goal is to help free detained loved ones from pre-trial incarceration, re-uniting them where they belong - with family and community .
Monetary Support
We provide crucial financial support to families coping with the emotional and financial burden of loved ones in detention. This can include keeping the lights on, staying housed, emergency bills, gas, bail, legal, or translation fees.
Resource Sharing
By collaborating with national and local organizations, we share resources to build a stronger support network for those affected.
Family Strategy Support
We understand that families and situations are dynamic and never exactly the same. Each situation requires both attention to what is immediate at hand and pro-active strategy to keeping families safe and connected.
Our Partners
All Community Relief Fund volunteers are based in midcoast, Penobscot Territory. On a localized level CRF partners with Capital Area for New Mainers Project. On a broader state-wide level (across Wabanakiek) CRF partners with Presente as part of People’s Coalition for Safety & Justice through the Maine Solidarity Fund.
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Get Involved
Want to volunteer?
Become part of a family support network! Sign up with here with CANMP
The Capital Area New Mainers Project (CANMP) welcomes immigrants and works to build a thriving, integrated community in central Maine. Their approach offers valuable lessons for rapid response organizing:
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Relationship-centered: CANMP connects immigrants and local community members to build lasting relationships
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Community integration: Focus on building bridges between New Mainers and long-time residents
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Volunteer networks: Through their network of volunteers and family mentor teams, they help meet immediate and long-term needs
Advocacy component: They advocate for immigrant needs and educate the broader community about diverse cultures and immigration issues