Hunger Doesn’t Take the Summer Off

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of “I’ve been on this ride before” moments. I talked about it in my last blog, Badge vs. Badge—how quickly plans can shift.

Dorian and I had planned to wrap up our Badge vs. Badge fundraiser and then take a few months off before gearing up for his birthday cake fundraiser this fall. But a quick stop at the Brewer Food Pantry to drop off paper bags changed all that. Suddenly, our summer break turned into a summer of action.

As an agent at NextHome Experience, I’m excited to be teaming up with my fellow agents to do a food drive and raise awareness for local food pantries, many of which are struggling to meet the growing need in our community. One of the first steps in this effort is celebrating Luke Day—a nationwide event across all NextHome offices that honors the company’s beloved mascot, Luke the orange French bulldog, by giving back to the communities we serve. This year, our local team is using Luke Day as a rallying point to support food security efforts right here in Brewer and beyond.

Dorian and I were invited to join the “Humans Over Housing” Events Committee, and what started as a simple food drive idea quickly turned into something much bigger. In just one hour of brainstorming, the event grew beyond anything we could have done on our own—a powerful reminder of what happens when community-minded people come together. Our agents genuinely love their community, and if we thought Dorian’s birthday cake fundraiser was big, it looks like we’d better get used to setting—and crushing—even bigger goals.

At one point, someone asked Dorian for a bold target. After doing some mental math, he said “300 boxes,” referencing the 200 birthday cakes he delivered last time. Everyone laughed and said, “Oh, I can think of a few people who’ll donate that many.” That moment set the tone—it’s clear this group is all in.

That spirit of "showing up no matter what" reminded me of a phone call I got a few years back from my best friend, Eliza. She’s a beautiful mom of four, a fellow homeschooler and entrepreneur, and one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. At the time, she was battling cancer. She called with news no one wants to hear: the outlook wasn’t good, and she needed help—fast. She needed to raise money so she could fight with everything she had—for her kids, for her husband, for her life.

Back then, I was teaching three courses at the Maine Business School, running a real estate business, and homeschooling my son. I thought I was at full capacity—until Eliza called. There was no time to wait until things calmed down. So I made time. I launched a hot cocoa stand fundraiser, and the community showed up! We raised over 13k in just a few hours!! (You can read the story here: WABI TV News.)

As much as I was looking forward to a slower summer, I realize what a gift it is to be able to help—with my son and fellow NextHomies by my side. Brainstorming ideas together, building a vision, watching it come to life. It’s something special. It's something Eliza would be doing!

This weekend is USPS's Stamp Out Hunger food drive. We hope you’ll get involved. A few cans may not seem like much, but when we all step up, they add up fast.

I keep pushing because Eliza pushed through. She showed me what it means to be a fighter. And for her—and for this community—we keep showing up.

And maybe the biggest reminder of all: we are never alone. My NextHomies showed me that again today. There is an army of people out there who want to help. All we have to do is start.

Stay tuned as this epic fundraiser takes shape- more details to be come!