Rotary Club of Belfast Maine Charitable Fund

Scholarship fund: The Belfast Rotary club has made a committment to support students across Waldo County achieve success and complete graduation from high school. The schools nominate students with significant leadership or service skills and invite them to complete an application. Rotary members interview the candidates and select up to fourteen students to receive scholarships and to be recognized at an annual luncheon and award ceremony.

Food Banks: Every day more people go hungry in Maine than in any other New England state. Nationwide, Maine is ranked as the seventh most food insecure, a designation that means residents lack access to the quantity and quality of food necessary for an active, healthy lifestyle. These numbers mean that 16% of the state's population is food insecure, including one out of every 5 children, according to data release in September 2017 by the US Department of Agriculture. In Waldo county the rate of food insecurity is 17.7%. Belfast Rotary makes a commitment each year to support the seven food pantries in Waldo County to reduce food insecurity in our communities.

100 Fund: Waldo County is economically challenged and is noticeable less wealthy than its neighboring coastal communities and proverty disproportionately affects the region's children. More than 1 in 4 children under age 5 (27%) are living in poverty, much higher than the overall county rate of 16%. Two out of three households headed by single mothers of children under five are poor (66%). The 100 fund provides gift cards of $150 per child to families identified for the program to purchase boots, cothing and toys at local stores for Christmas.