Maine Gov. Helps Group Dumped by Church

Maine governor John Baldacci prepared and served spaghetti meals at a fundraiser Wednesday for a homeless group denied funding by the Catholic church over its support for marriage equality.

According to the Kennebec Journal, "Baldacci decided to hold the spaghetti feed after learning last month that the Catholic Church had withdrawn funding for Preble Street's Homeless Voices for Justice program because of Preble Street's support for same-sex marriage."

Homeless Voices for Justice lost a total of $50,000 this fiscal year and next after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development pulled funding. They say that Preble Street violated its grant agreement by supporting No on 1, the campaign against repeal of the marriage equality law, last year.

Baldacci, a Catholic, signed the marriage equality bill into law in May, but voters overturned it in November.

The total amount raised at the fundraiser at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland is not yet counted. Some 900 dinners were served.