Mainebiz Special Editions

V O L . X X V N O. X X I M aintaining and growing local economies has become a major point of focus for Maine as its economy has shifted more toward tourism and the trend of young people moving out of state for jobs has continued. Climate change, the promi- nence of global supply chains, changes in manufacturing and the exportation of jobs to locales overseas have left many rural communities in Maine asking how they can thrive instead of disappearing. Nonprofit organizations that focus on specific communities within Maine can foster economic development in regions where changing demographics and a lack of new job opportunities pose major challenges. Nonprofits that target very specific communities and seek to evolve rural ways of life in Maine are having success in both creating jobs for these communities and generating inter- est in Maine's small towns. Mano en Mano in Washington County, the Libra Foundation in Piscataquis County and the Island Institute along the coast are all focusing on hyper-local economic development and strategic partnerships to attract interest, business and people to their respective areas, while honor- ing the history of each. "It's really a three-sector effort that can grow Maine's communities and economies, especially outside Southern Maine in less populated areas of the state," said Jennifer Hutchins, execu- tive director for the Maine Association of Nonprofits. "We need business, government and nonprofits to work together to revitalize Maine's rural communities with sustainable indus- tries that can draw people to our small towns and rural areas." Mano en Mano engages Washington County's migrant worker community At a time when many small towns in Maine are seeing their population decrease significantly, the popula- tion of Milbridge has increased, as migrant farm workers, immigrant workers and other farm workers come to the area to work for the season — with some deciding to stay permanently. A Milbridge-based nonprofit, Mano en Mano (Spanish for hand in hand), was founded in 2005 with a mission to help these immigrant workers and farmworkers and their families thrive in Maine. Mano en Mano awards higher education scholarships and in partner- ship with the Maine Department of Education's Maine Migrant Education Program operates its Blueberry Harvest summer school for migrant children between the ages of three and 16. e Blueberry Harvest school gives migrant children the opportunity to attend school during blueberry harvest season when they might otherwise miss school due to their parents' or their own seasonal work. "We try to provide students with a welcoming, academically rich and caring environment where they can focus on celebrating language, culture and iden- tity, which are things that are often seen as deficits by the schools that they go to during the regular school year," said Ian Yaffe, executive director for Mano en Mano. "By helping with social- emotional growth and by providing a welcoming and fun environment for kids to be in, we can set them up for success in school in the fall." e nonprofit operates a welcome and resource center and also provides local immigrant, farmworker and Latinx communities with support in accessing essential services such as medical care and housing. Finding affordable housing can be a major barrier for farmworkers who want to put down roots in the area. To answer this need, Mano en Mano built its Hand in Hand Apartments, which can house up to six families, in 2011 with the help of a USDA grant. In most of Washington County and across large swaths of Maine, the rural population is about one third smaller than it was 100 years ago. Not so in Milbridge. Since the 1990s, Milbridge's population has been growing and is projected to keep doing so in the future. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A N O E N M A N O Mano en Mano, a Milbridge-based nonprofit, was founded in 2005 with a mission to help immigrant workers and farmworkers and their families thrive in Maine. 'Mano en mano' is Spanish for hand in hand. By helping with social- emotional growth and by providing a welcoming and fun environment for kids to be in, we can set them up for success in school in the fall. — Ian Yaffe Mano en Mano Hyper- local How some nonprofits are changing Maine's local communities and economies B y C a t h e r i n e B e r C e G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 12

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