Do you know who Frances Perkins is? If the answer is no, you're not alone. She was the first woman elected to a presidential cabinet and under Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the U.S. secretary of labor for 12 years. She is responsible for crafting legislation for FDR's New Deal and creating the federal social safety net as we know it today.

Perkins spent summers on the family homestead in Damariscotta. The Frances Perkins Center has purchased the home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is preserving it to shine a light on her legacy.

Learn more about MaineCF's support of the Perkins homestead preservation here.

For teens without homes, a bed can mean a new beginning.

MaineCF grantee Preble Street, a nonprofit organization in Portland that provides services to people experiencing homelessness, has seen a rise in teen homelessness.

Leah McDonald, senior director of social work, talks about the causes of teen homelessness and the organization's youth services that aim to break generational cycles.

Maine ranks near the top for the highest food insecurity rates in the country. Food prices have spiked amid record inflation, straining wallets and household budgets.

Financial hardship is among one challenge facing food distribution organizations in Maine.

In Aroostook County, the vast distance from one end of the county to the other can make food distribution difficult. But Dixie Shaw of Catholic Charities of Maine has spent 35 years facing it head on.

Katie Brown, co-founder of Youth Full Maine in York County, helps children and families get fresh meals.