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New nonprofit in Maine looks to support agricultural workers

PathStone Corporation recently expanded to Maine and plans to use roughly $430,000 in federal funding to support farmers.

BANGOR, Maine — As we continue to learn more about how climate change is affecting our state, one of the biggest areas under threat is agriculture. But there's a new nonprofit, known as PathStone, that hopes to support this industry and its workers through federal funding. 

PathStone is originally based in New York and has expanded to several other states, most recently Maine. The nonprofit focuses on community development and community services, but here in Maine, its goal is to support agricultural workers. 

The organization received a roughly $430,000 federal grant from the Department of Labor. It's called the National Farmworker Jobs Program. The money can be used to provide numerous training and development opportunities for farmers. 

Sarah Delano, the outreach coordinator for PathStone Co. in Maine, said this is all in an effort to help farming and agriculture to be more sustainable and profitable in the future.

"So many people leave the agricultural industry because they don't think that they can get funding to learn about how to make it more efficient, how to make it better, or they don't think it's profitable," Delano said. "The entire point of this grant is to encourage whoever's enrolled in it to have stable and profitable employment."

PathStone's main office is located in Bangor, but it plans to help Mainers statewide. 

Delano said the funding can apply to several different jobs in this field, including some aquaculture and forestry workers. Enrollment is rolling, so if now isn't the right time, it will still be available over the coming months. 

For more information or to figure out if you qualify, reach out to the PathStone Corp. Maine Facebook page or click here.

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