WATERVILLE — The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers was recently awarded a $250,000 grant to support the agency’s Sustainability and Strategic Growth Project by the Harold Alfond Foundation, according to a news release from the agency.

The children’s home, founded in 1899, reaches out to more than 3,000 families and children throughout the state every year. Its mission is to “build and strengthen families and their children, instilling hope for the future and a better quality of life.”

The grant funds have already helped the home assess its current programs and operations; strengthen development, stewardship, and marketing programs; and will provide support in developing the long-term vision and strategies to assure that the home continues to respond thoughtfully and effectively to emerging and existing challenges facing Maine families and their children.

A long-term strategic analysis is being undertaken for the organization’s Dorothy ‘Bibby’ Alfond campus and physical plant in Waterville.

According to the release, a portion of the funds will be used to support The Connected Community @ MCH: resiliency training, development of expanded community and family resources, as well as to expand Trust-Based Relational Intervention programming at the organization and in the community.

Another portion of the funds will be used to explore restructuring and expanding the Sharon Abrams Teen Parent School Program by working with local partners to offer strong, integrated support services for teen parents and their children in their home communities.

“We are thrilled with the continued support and investment of the Harold Alfond Foundation to provide increasing guidance, resources, and assistance to meet the evolving needs of the families across our communities. The needs we are encountering are more diverse and demanding than ever before,” said Richard Dorian, The Maine Children’s Home executive director. “This gift will allow us to better prepare for our unique response with tools and resources to build safer, happier and healthier homes for many more Maine families.”

The Harold Alfond Foundation’s mission is to honor and promote the values of its founder through transformative investments for the benefit of Maine in education, health care, and youth and community development.

“The Maine Children’s Home has a terrific mission and provides important services for so many Maine families. We commend The Maine Children’s Home’s Leadership for their efforts to achieve future sustainability and growth for the organization,” said Greg Powell, chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation.

For more information on the Maine Children’s Home, visit MaineChildrensHome.org.