AUBURN, Maine (AP) A former Maine governor is helping to raise money to help a 95-year-old Auburn woman who lost her life savings to a scam artist.

Since former Gov. John Baldacci heard about the case of Barbara Hinckley he has been organizing a benefit dinner that he hopes will draw a big crowd.

The Sun Journal reports that over the summer Hinckley gave away more than $16,000 to a man who convinced her she’d won $2.5 million and a Mercedes-Benz.

Baldacci, a Democrat who served as governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011, said he’d provide the food for the Jan. 8 dinner at the Auburn Middle School.

Hinckley says it’s a thoughtful thing to do.