Lawmakers hear support for continued state funding for Maine Multicultural Center in Bangor area

Senator Mike Tipping opened LD 783’s public hearing by asking the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee to continue state support for the Maine Multicultural Center (MMCC), an organization that coordinates volunteers and paid staff to help newly arrived immigrants and refugees integrate into Greater Bangor.

“LD 7 83 would continue that funding and allow them to continue their important work,” Senator Tipping said. He described MMCC as a volunteer-driven organization that used last year’s one‑time state allocation to hire a program manager and two outreach coordinators and to leverage additional private and federal funds.

Pamela Pru Curry, executive director of the Maine Multicultural Center, told the committee the organization now serves families and individuals across roughly 21 communities in Greater Bangor and acts as a resource for nearby towns organizing similar programs. “The Maine Multicultural Center was founded in part to…