We recently offered the communities we serve the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. We were so humbled by the response. Most of us know that not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a household and community that are safe and welcoming. And many might back away from even the mention of domestic abuse or prefer not to get involved. But our recent fundraising challenge shows otherwise.

Although our initial ask was for the community to match $10,000, we received so much more.

Donors not only responded to the initial ask, but allowed us to use their donations to raise the challenge. Some took the time to ask how we were doing as an agency and where we had need. They wanted to know the trends we were seeing in the domestic abuse arena. Some told us about the abuse they experienced. Still others connected us with new potential donors.

Of course the money is helpful. There is always a need for more financial resources to provide sheltering, and educational trainings and presentations. This matching challenge generated $59,000.00+. But for us, it was just so touching to hear people reach out and really want to know how they can help. The money came in, but the message could not have been clearer: when called upon, the Midcoast responds in a way that speaks to the kind of community we want to build and the kind of community we want our children to experience.

Rebekah Paredes is executive director of New Hope