CAC Midcoast Maine since 2019

 Our mission is

Our mission is to educate ourselves and others about immigration and to assist immigrants in the midcoast successfully navigate life in the community.

Connecting Across Cultures is an all-volunteer local community group comprised primarily of retirees, including former teachers, as well as members of faith groups. Our mission includes providing direct assistance to immigrants who settle in our area of the midcoast. 

We do this work because we believe people in difficulty deserve assistance. We are fiscally sponsored by One Community Many Voices. We have been in existence for approximately ten years. We have developed a great deal of expertise in the domain of helping people from other countries integrate into life here. 

Over the years we have helped families access blankets, childcare, food, furniture, medical and dental care, housing, language support, legal services, school support, transportation, and winter clothing. In 2023 we spent over $13,000 on direct services to local people. 

We also host social gatherings and help with cultural competency and community integration. The primary recipients of our direct service assistance have been refugees from Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine. 

All the adults we have helped want to start work immediately, however many are unable to do so because of federal regulations requiring a long wait for work papers – often a wait of one year. During that time, families are entirely dependent on limited benefits, together with any help that comes in from others. Once families are able to work here, they join the workforce eagerly, and often work more than one job in order to support their families. The people we have worked with so far have come here fleeing violence and are grateful for the safety they find here. 

We work with other agencies, organizations and anyone who is trying to make a difference for immigrants in our community.

We have worked with lawyers, libraries, faith communities, Congressional Representative's staff, town officials, job placement agencies, and other groups around Maine who are doing similar work.