Left to right back row: Pat Carton and John Newlin from The Growing Place, Peg Orlando and Surrey Hardcastle from Harpswell Aging at Home, Kathy Smith from Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers,Lindsay MacDonald from Big Brothers Big Sisters; Barb Reinersten from United Way, Craig Phillips from Tedford Housing, Lucille Stott from Midcoast Literacy, Ashley Wilcock and Wendy Andersfrom Sweetser, Karen Parker from Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, and Mary Connally from the The Gathering Place. Front row is Stacy Frizzle from People Plus and Jamie Sylvestri from ArtVan. (Contributed photo)
Twelve local organizations have received $50,000 in grants from The Maine Women’s Giving Tree, a local philanthropy that focuses on the needs of children, women and families in Midcoast communities from Freeport to Wiscasset.
The 2019 grants bolster efforts that range from providing art therapy to young children, to transporting seniors to necessary appointments, and to helping local women seek stable living conditions. The awardees include:
- Art Van – $4,500 to sustain the Core Neighborhood mobile art therapy program for children at sites in Bath and in Brunswick
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters – $2,500 to defray the costs of background checks for potential volunteer mentors
- Gathering Place – $3,500 to enhance programs at its Drop-in Day Shelter in Brunswick to meet the needs of an increasing number of individuals
- Growing to Give – $3,500 to initiate a new educational project, Growing Giving, and Learning, at Scatter Good Farm, a food bank project in Brunswick
- Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine – $5,000 to support services for lower-income homeowners in Harpswell in need of house repairs, weatherization and modifications
- Harpswell Aging at Home – $5,000 to support food initiatives, including Lunch with Friends and Meals in a Pinch, for elderly residents
- Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program – $5,500 to expand the new School Pantry program at schools in our area
- Midcoast Literacy – $3,000 to expand the Read Together Program serving children ages 6-14 who are performing below grade level
- People Plus – $2,500 to support the Volunteer Transportation Network that provides free rides for elderly residents of Brunswick, Harpswell and Topsham
- Sweetser – $5,000 to assist uninsured and underinsured children and families receiving school-based therapy in Cumberland, Sagadahoc and Lincoln Counties
- Tedford Housing – $5,000 to support continuation of the Breaking Down Barriers program for women seeking stable living conditions
- United Way of Mid Coast Maine – $5,000 for the Diaper Project, which distributes free diapers to families at food pantries in Bath, Brunswick, and Wiscasset
MWGT president Cyndy Bush and Treasurer Diane Field, both of Harpswell, announced the awards at a reception held at Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library and attended by community leaders, representatives of the grant recipients, members and friends of the Maine Women’s Giving Tree.
The Maine Women’s Giving Tree has now awarded more nearly $200,000 to local organizations.
“We’re thrilled to have reached this significant milestone as well as our 10th year of sustained membership growth, and we look forward to continuing our support for outstanding programs that help meet important human service needs in our region,” Bush said in a news release.
Founded in 2009, The Maine Women’s Giving Tree is a charitable organization with the mission to improve the lives of people in our region through collective giving to non-profit organizations that focus on the needs of women, children, and families. It is a Donor Advised Fund of the Maine Community Foundation and benefits programs serving people in Bath, Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell, Phippsburg, Topsham, Woolwich and Wiscasset, among others. Membership is open to any person who supports its mission and contributes a minimum of $365 a year to carry out that mission. For more information, visit: mainewomensgivingtree.org
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