Roughly 95% of applicants come from an underserved/forgotten demographic – hardworking individuals or families living paycheck to paycheck. As more individuals/families live paycheck to paycheck, it becomes financially and emotionally challenging to be proactive and resolve a temporary barrier before it becomes a crisis.
WHY PAY IT FORWARD – The self-selected volunteerism component allows people to receive help while maintaining their dignity. Mainers are proud and many will go without before taking a “handout.” Providing recipients the ability to use their skills and knowledge to help someone else in need – is far more beneficial and rewarding to all involved.
Our organization provides more than gap funding to prevent a temporary barrier turning into a financial, self-confidence, or well-being crisis. We provide an alternative for people to use their skills, abilities, and knowledge to personally overcome a barrier blocking their potential verses giving a “handout,” empowering them through their self-selective volunteering. – Board Member
Examples of How We Help– OCMV provides solutions through its People to People Fund for necessities that federal and state funding does not permit social service agencies to allocate funding to such as:
- Covering co-payment fee for hearing aides;
- Partially covering car repairs to keep families mobile and employed;
- Purchasing school clothes for kids living at Hospitality House;
- Buying a laptop so a single mom – could earn her GED online while working in order to have a better employment opportunity;
- Assist an 85 year old woman with laundromat needs because she was afraid to venture out due to COVID-19.
OCMV helped me buy tires so I could continue to work and attend night classes. By allowing me to pay it forward – I didn’t feel ashamed or needy but rather relieved. I needed help with buying tires and they needed me to help someone else in the community. It was a win win and left me feeling like a community giver not taker. – Cindy, 2018 Recipient