Angela Stone is the founder of Maine Needs.
After practicing interior design for 13 years in Chicago and becoming a mother of two, Angela moved back home to Maine. The design world had exposed her to a world of excess, an abundance of resources and connections. At the same time, early motherhood showed her what it felt like to feel helpless, vulnerable, and uncomfortably reliant on others yet fully responsible for the life of another human being.
Maine Needs was an emotional response to what was happening at our southern border in 2018. The combination of what Angela saw in design and felt in motherhood led her to believe that an active community effort was possible if people only knew what was needed and were invited in to help in any capacity they could.
Maine Needs started with a focus on asylum-seeking mothers; the mission quickly expanded to Maine families, unhoused neighbors, survivors of domestic violence, and people leaving incarceration. The common thread became clear: we all have the same basic needs. We all have needs, which doesn’t make us needy; it makes us human.
The goal was to utilize social media and the local community to establish a safety net for people who didn’t have one and redistribute quality resources so that everyone could feel more cared for and have their basic needs met. Maine Needs became a community-run donation center where caseworkers, street outreach teams, teachers, and nurses can request basic material needs that individuals and families all over Maine need.
That safety net is now over 43,000 people, with over 3,000 volunteers, two employees, and countless local businesses, schools, churches, and people collecting, making essential care kits, and fundraising for others. Stone also created 16 Better Together County Groups where people can post their needs and what they must give locally. The ripple effect of Maine Needs is far beyond what can be tracked. It is the result of a broken heart linked to many other hearts. It is asking for more of our community and seeing what happens.
Corporate Care Award: USI
USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects together approximately 10,000 industry leading professionals across nearly 200 offices to serve clients’ local, national and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage®, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and expertise, and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities. For more information, visit usi.com. For more information on the USI Gives Back program, click here.
To learn more or register for this year’s Humanitarian Awards, visit spurwink.org/humanitarian.