Domestic violence resource agencies in Maine — which provide 24-hour hotlines, emergency shelters, support and education groups, transitional housing, children’s services, youth programs, legal advocacy and community awareness building — would not exist in their current forms today without the time donated by volunteers.

The five volunteers at Spruce Run-Womancare Alliance featured in this special Maine Focus project — Mary McQueen, Aaron Bennett, Catherine Kurr, Ann Schonberger and Crystal Burns — come from different backgrounds, but they share one thing: Their role is to care about victims. 

Read here why they are dedicated to the cause.

Erin Rhoda is the editor of Maine Focus, a team that conducts journalism investigations and projects at the Bangor Daily News. She also writes for the newspaper, often centering her work on domestic and...