Mainebiz Giving Guide

V O L . X X V I I N O. X X I » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 6 GIVING GUIDE "at was a big gut-check. We can't have hunger within our own walls as a food bank," Taft says. Good Shepherd raised its mini- mum wage to $17 and began looking at sourcing food from different pro- viders to get culturally relevant foods for different immigrant, refugee or tribal populations. "Understanding who is hun- gry and ending racism has to start within," Taft says. "at's training and education and extending support work across our 500 partners. Every- thing we do has to go through an EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) lens," Taft says. "Some of the pitfalls are that lots of organizations understaffed diver- sity roles or the issue fades away from importance," Taft says. Mufalo Chitam, executive direc- tor of the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, echoed the sentiments that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts need to be at the forefront of priorities and help guide decisions or the efforts often become stale or forgotten. "DEI work has to be more than lip-service at a company or organiza- tion. It needs to be embedded in deci- sions from the top down and become a living, breathing part of a culture," Chitam says. "Hiring one person and checking a box and saying we're doing DEI training and whatnot — that's just a drop in the ocean." "You cannot have one person of color do the lifting for a whole busi- ness or group to qualify as DEI work. e burden all the time comes to the persons of color. It should not be a thought or a question. It should be a lifestyle," Chitam says. Beyond hiring people of color, the nonprofit world can help do things that companies may be unaware of or lack the resources to handle, such as teaching languages, literacy, and financial literacy, Chitam says. "Nonprofits work on the human level. ere's more pressure to take care of family and community. Nonprof- its can connect the people and provide support systems that a business may not realize is needed or be equipped to offer," Chitam says. "For us, it is second nature because we live it." Building coalitions In Her Presence's Ndayininahaze says a lot of companies and leaders talk about diversity and inclusion, but fail to act. "How do we shift the culture in Maine? People are afraid of chang- ing it or disrupting what is there," she says. "To really create equity, we need to build together. If we are isolated, we are not really moving. Movement comes from coalitions," Ndayininahaze says. In Her Presence says it has partnered with Hannaford Supermarkets and All- agash Brewing Co. to hire immigrant women. e companies list positions they have available and the nonprofit identifies women leaders in the com- munity who may be good candidates. In Her Presence then helps the job candidates with the application pro- cess, interviews and training by provid- ing translation services and meeting with the companies and candidates to smooth over any issues about the job or cultures that will mix. In Her Presence has helped more than a dozen immi- grant women get jobs. "We hope this will inspire other busi- nesses to follow and provide paths for growth for those in our community," she says. "is group and this effort exists because it is within us and it's our pas- sion and our community." Adilah Muhammad, president and founder of the ird Place, founded in 2017, wanted to create a place where people of color could share ideas, work and become a community. Since its founding, the Portland nonprofit has supported 10 emerging businesses and nonprofits with its office space, training, social and professional development and community of peers. e group also has organized state- wide sector groups in areas such as law, health and wellness, conservation and education where professional people of color can meet others with similar back- grounds or needs or interests to lift each other up, Muhammad says. "We want to raise awareness of who's here, how is the quality of their lives and bridge the gaps that are missing between work, home and community life," Muhammad says. Expanding the opportunities for people of color is more than just hiring a few diverse candidates, but focusing on how to retain them and to promote them, Muhammad says. "Connections are very essential to grounding people in the community. People from dynamic, urban areas are hard to attract and retain if they don't have connectedness," Muhammad says. Nonprofit groups can fill in those gaps. "People of color come to Maine for as many different reasons as there are people. Nonprofits can provide a community for them. It's not the role of a workplace. Nonprofits can fill in the gaps and connect home and work and provide community space," Muhammad says. "No amount of DEI training can make up for being with people in their communities and truly understanding them," Muhammad says. "It's all theoret- ical until you meet someone in the com- munity and apply what you learned." J e s s i c a H a l l c a n b e r e a c h e d a t j h a l l @ m a i n e b i z . b i z We want to raise awareness of who's here, how is the quality of their lives and bridge the gaps that are missing between work, home and community life. — Adilah Muhammad The Third Place P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 2 8 Adilah Muhammad, is founder of the Third Place, which supports emerging businesses and nonprofits with its office space, training and social and professional development.

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