Concerns Over Donations for Maine Shooting Victims
Nearly $2 million that was intended for the victims of Maine’s largest mass shooting seemed to have been redirected to Muslim and left-leaning migrant activist organizations instead, as reported recently.
Following the tragic event in October 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals in Lewiston, Maine, Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, endorsed the Maine Community Foundation as the go-to place for public donations aimed at aiding the survivors. Mills characterized the foundation as the only reliable source for contributing to the victims’ needs.
However, it has come to light that not all of the $4.7 million raised for the victims and their families was distributed as promised, according to a report by Steve Robinson from the Maine Wire.
This substantial sum, meant to support 162 family members of those who lost their lives, appears to have had at least $1.9 million diverted to 29 local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups that were not connected to the shooting victims and did not offer any assistance post-attack.
Robinson’s investigation also revealed that many of the leaders of these NGOs, which received approximately $65,522 each, were also board members of the Maine Community Foundation, effectively facilitating their own payouts.
Adding to the troubling findings, some of these NGOs may no longer be operational—or possibly never existed at all, as noted by Robinson.
Among those NGOs that reportedly accepted the funds are the Somali Bantu Community Association, Generational Noor, The Root Cellar, Gateway Community Services, United Way of Androscoggin County, Tree Street Youth, and others.
A family member of one victim expressed disbelief upon learning that these organizations had received significant financial support. “I realized that each nonprofit received more than twice the amount that I had from the MCF,” said Jennifer Zanca, a survivor of the Lewiston shooting.
Since the investigation highlighted these concerns, Maine’s Democratic Attorney General, Aaron Frey, has stated that he lacks the legal authority to probe into the matter of the alleged misallocation of funds, indicating that the state would not pursue any action.
