VictimsFirst Receives Grant from The Root Cellar To Help Lewiston Shooting Victims

One of 29 nonprofits that received funds from the Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund returns donations for Lewiston victims’ families and survivors

For Immediate Release

March 4, 2026 – VictimsFirst will distribute $65,521.79 to victims and survivors of the Lewiston, ME mass shooting as a result of a grant from The Root Cellar, a local area nonprofit organization, which was one of 29 nonprofit organizations that received a grant from the Maine Community Foundation’s Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund in the aftermath of the October 25, 2023 tragedy. Eighteen people were murdered, 13 were injured, and more survived with wounds unseen.

Our families from previous mass shootings across this nation thank all those at The Root Cellar for this gracious act of compassion and kindness towards their fellow Lewiston neighbors who were harmed by these shootings.

Direct family members of the deceased, those physically injured and those who were present and survived the shootings at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant may apply for financial assistance through our website here. Any victim/survivor can reach us directly at contact@victimsfirst.org.

VictimsFirst has already been assisting other Lewiston victims behind the scenes and will continue doing so, implementing the same process. There will be a short application for verification. We will ensure that The Root Cellar grant and any other designated funds we receive assist as many shooting victims/survivors as possible. We will continue helping until the funds run out.

We ensure that 100% of the funds will be fully distributed to the victim base. The funds will be kept in a separate bank account so we can verify that 100% of all interest earned is also distributed. Because we are also families of mass shootings, we do this as a service pro bono for our fellow mass shooting families.