What We Do
Since 2014, we have led an effort to bring support to those facing cancer in eastern Maine.
Our Mission
The Christine B. Foundation (CBF) is a non-profit, community-based service provider in Bangor, ME. Our mission is to support those facing cancer by extending access to healthy food, nutritional information, and community connections essential to their strength and comfort.
From your point of cancer diagnosis, through treatment, and into survivorship, our staff and volunteers across Piscataquis, Penobscot, Hancock, and Washington Counties commit to navigating the financial and nutritional burdens you may face.
Our Vision
The Christine B. Foundation envisions a world in which nutrition is a standard of care for everyone diagnosed with cancer. In collaboration with a robust network of mission-aligned volunteers, businesses, healthcare providers, and community partners, CBF will deepen understanding of nutrition's vital importance in removing barriers to care and treating cancer.
Who is Christine
Imagine, at the age of 47, you're waving to your spouse as they head to work. Your two children are rushing out the door to catch the bus for school. After the morning shuffle, you're looking at a 'doctor's appointment reminder,' hoping the visit that day will ease a creeping stomach pain.
This was a fall morning for Christine, and by the end of the day, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. This crisis came without warning, starting an uncontrollable 7-month journey of surgeries, hospice, and, ultimately, her passing.
Christine B. Dexter was a mother, sister, social worker, volunteer, and force for good. Cancer stripped her from her community, took away her dreams, and left behind mounting financial and emotional strain. In 2014, her son Matt Dexter started the Christine B. Foundation in her memory, reigniting the community, dreams, and support that cancer once took.
Our Why
“Understanding the role of nutrition in cancer care is crucial. Poor nutrition and physical inactivity cause 18% of cancers (American Cancer Society), underscoring the importance of our work. Access to basic needs, including healthy food, has a significant impact on health outcomes and quality of life for Mainers. The CBF team makes it simple.
A cancer diagnosis rains down uncertainty and strain that is unbearable to many. For me, it was losing my mother, Christine. While that story is similar to many, every individual experiences unique burdens that may disrupt access to healthy food and community connections when they are needed most. More families than ever are seeking our help. Can you continue your support with a gift to CBF today?”
— Matt Dexter, Executive Director
What We’ve Achieved
Built and scaled a Cancer Nutrition Assistance program that now serves 300+ Mainers every week with medically tailored grocery packages. To date, 700,000 equivalent meals have been provided at no cost to patients with cancer and their families.
Nourishing Hope: The Impact of Nutrition in Cancer Treatment and Recovery in Maine. Integrated community services, academic research, and health care to evaluate how access to food and dietitian counseling impacts health outcomes and a family's social, economic, and physical factors while facing cancer.
Founding member of the Association of Maine Cancer Support Centers, a network of 8-10 organizations working together to reduce the burdens of cancer across Maine
Provided referral and care coordination to patients seeking services through treatment and recovery.