BANGOR — The Christine B. Foundation (CBF) has officially been serving the cancer community in Eastern Maine for ten years. With $1.5 million of services gifted to cancer patients each year and half a million healthy meals* delivered since 2020, through their cancer support system, CBF continues to make a difference in the lives of families affected by cancer in Maine. CBF plans to host a 10th Anniversary event on December 10, 2024.

* - Calculated by the nutritional composition of each grocery package, averaging 30 meals (i.e. produce, grains, proteins, etc.)

“My story with cancer started when my mom, Christine, passed at the age of 47 to stomach cancer," said CBF Executive Director Matt Dexter, in a news release. "I was 13 when my family and I lost her, and this ‘Lightbulb’ moment began to pick up sparks. When an idea fills you with hope, helps you heal, and gives you purpose, take that path with all your heart and eyes wide open. It is such an honor to continue this work in my mom’s name, ten years later.” 

What started as a relay for cancer support from Maine to Long Beach Island, New Jersey in 2014, which raised $18,000 in its inaugural year, has become a highly sought-after cancer resource in Maine, according to CBF. CBF offered college scholarships and various social supports to patients and was in the early days of establishing a cancer nutrition assistance program, responding to the growing impact of poverty, food insecurity, and cancer on the state. Then, the isolation and uncertain times of the pandemic accelerated this program’s growth significantly. CBF now has a team of 150 volunteers who prepare groceries tailored to each patient's nutritional needs. This team delivers packages across 11,500 square miles of eastern Maine while staffing pick-up sites at various Northern Light Health member hospitals. 

"Cancer has affected my family deeply," said Lee-Anne Storen, CBF Board of Director Member. "When my dad struggled, understanding as a patient what you're eating makes a big difference in your healing process. You complicate food insecurities and poverty in the state of Maine and couple that with a cancer diagnosis, that impact is significant. I am so incredibly excited to be a member of the CBF board. You need organizations like the Christine B. Foundation to help with those very important aspects – that nutrition be part of a cancer treatment plan."

Cancer is the state of Maine’s leading cause of death with 18% of cancers caused by poor nutrition and physical inactivity (American Cancer Society). CBF plans to continue working with local communities, organizations across the state, and healthcare partners to move nutrition interventions as a standard of care for all cancer patients. 

For more information on how to receive support and the Christine B. Foundation’s efforts for Nutrition Assistance or would like to volunteer, donate, and support their mission, please visit https://www.chrisbfund.org. If you have any questions, contact Matt Dexter, CBF Executive Director, at (207) 573-9026 or by emailing matt@chrisbfund.org.

The Christine B. Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded by Matt Dexter, son of Christine B. who passed away from cancer in 2008. The organization began as Eastern Trek for Cancer, Inc. in 2014 as a solo fundraising event and not long after inception was renamed to Christine B. Foundation, Inc.