Good Deeds

Southern New Hampshire University’s Maine Center for Continuing Education in Brunswick recently raised $1,200 in two days to support two families with children who are receiving treatment for cancer. Initially SNHU Maine adopted one family who have a 4-year-old suffering from leukemia, and a 2-year-old daughter. After a successful bake sale was held to buy presents for the children, SNHU was able to adopt a second family. The money will be used to buy presents for the children and gas cards for the parents.

Nelson Toner, chairman of the Mercy Board of Trustees, recently received the Catholic Health East Excellence in Governance Award for 2010. As part of the award, Toner was asked to select a community program of his choice to receive a $10,000 donation from Catholic Health East. He selected the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Emergency (HOME) Team in Portland, a program supported by Mercy.

Bisson Moving & Storage, with locations in Westbrook, Auburn and Brunswick, has become a partner with Move for Hunger, a non-profit that connects with moving companies to pick up unwanted, unopened food during the moving process and deliver it to local food banks. Bisson Moving and Storage’s staff will assist in boxing the food donations during the moving process and will make arrangements for the items to be delivered to Good Shepherd Food Bank, who will distribute the donations to families in need.

The Planet Dog Company Store in Portland raised $800 for the Planet Dog Foundation grant program at its annual “Sit with Santa” event.

The Elizabeth Wadsworth Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently packaged and mailed 2,000 homemade Christmas cookies and other snacks to Maine troops stationed in Afghanistan. Eric Cianchette, owner of the Portland Regency Hotel and David Tamulevich, general manager, donated ingredients and the use of the hotel kitchen. This is the sixth year members of the Elizabeth Wadsworth Chapter have sent homemade cookies to Maine troops.

The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation contributed $100,000 to Maine’s Let’s Go! program as part of its ongoing fight against childhood obesity. Let’s Go! is a program of the United Way of Greater Portland that promotes increased physical activity and healthy eating among children and youth. Over the past four years, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation has provided $400,000 to Let’s Go! in support of the statewide school-based “5-2-1-0 Goes to School” plan.

The Walmart Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 grant and a new refrigerated food delivery truck to the Good Shepherd Food-Bank, an organization working to end hunger in Maine by providing food to more than 600 partner agencies throughout the state. The $100,000 grant was received as part of the Associate Choice Program, an online campaign where Walmart associates/employees voted directly for a nonprofit to receive funding in their home state.

L.L. Bean has donated $12,000 to the Portland Public Schools for projects that help students transition from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. The money will fund the following projects: a glee club at East End Community School that will collaborate with middle school choruses; a peer mentoring program that will pair students from Portland High School and King Middle School to work together on a community service project; an expanded Step Across Day at Lyman Moore Middle School; and projects geared toward increasing extracurricular activity participation at Lincoln Middle School. The overall goal of all the projects is to help increase high school completion rates.

The Cape Elizabeth Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office recently presented Project G.R.A.C.E. with a $1,000 donation. Project G.R.A.C.E is a Scarborough-based organization devoted to helping people in need.

Town & Country Federal Credit Union in South Portland has recently presented donations to local nonprofits. During Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, the credit union raised $2,637 through the sale of pink tulip bulbs. The money raised will benefit the Women’s Cancer Fund of the Maine Cancer Foundation. As part of the credit union’s Ending Hunger Campaign, Town & Country donated $8,000 to seven Portland area food pantries and soup kitchens, including Preble Street Food Pantry, Wayside Food Program, Project Feed, Woodfords Corner, South Portland Food Cupboard, Scarborough Food Pantry, Saco Food Pantry, and Stone Soup Food Pantry.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine recently announced that it has awarded grant funding totaling $164,165 to 16 Maine non-profit organizations in 2010. Local organizations to receive funding include: The New England Film Academy in Portland, $10,000 for the Urban Filmmakers project; Center for Grieving Children in Portland, $22,500 for Multicultural Peer Support Program; Camp Sunshine in Sebago Lake, $3,000 for Family Sponsorship Program; The Telling Room in Portland, $20,000 for Young Writers & Leaders, Workshops and Young Writers Council Programs; Easter Seals Maine, $3,000 for Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities or Special Needs throughout Maine; Children’s Oral Health Program in Portland, $12,000 for access to quality oral healthcare for children; Company of Girls in Portland, $5,000 for the From Fledgling to Full Grown program; Jobs for Maine Graduates, $7,500 for Success with Financial Literacy program throughout Maine; and Kids First Center in Portland, $10,160 for divorce support groups for children and adolescents.

In honor of Veterans Day, local Dunkin’ Donuts shops participated in the national “Coffee for our Troops” program where one pound of coffee was donated to the USO per two pounds purchased by customers. The program was projected to donate 100,000 pounds of coffee.

Portland Mattress Makers recently donated two twin mattresses, and one full mattress with box spring and frame to Martha’s Cottage, a shelter for elder victims of domestic violence and abuse. The mattress company has also committed to providing free mattresses throughout 2011 to both Martha’s Cottage and to Family Crisis Services, a partner of the elder shelter.

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For the eighth year in a row, Haven’s Candies Westbrook factory store recently hosted a candy cane-making event to benefit The Dream Factory of Maine, a nonprofit organization that grants dreams to critically and chronically ill children in Maine. The sold-out event raised a total of $5,085 for the Dream Factory of Maine. Pictured here at the event are Steve Quimby, candymaker at Haven’s Candies, and his granddaughter, Merisa Norton.

The Ronald McDonald House in Portland recently received 46 new Tempur-Pedic beds and mattresses donated by Tempur-Pedic International Inc. With 21 family rooms and 46 beds to replace, Earle W. Noyes & Sons, a Portland-based moving and storage company, donated their time and service by sending eight movers, pictured here, and equipment to help deliver and unload all of the beds. Ronald McDonald House provides an affordable, safe and supportive temporary home to families of seriously ill children who are receiving medical treatment at local hospitals.

The Cancer Community Center in South Portland recently received a $750 contribution from FairPoint Communications on behalf of employee Leslie Robert of Kennebunk. Roberts, a senior manager of internal communications at FairPoint, secured the donation through the FairPoint Communications Volunteer Incentive Program. Under the program, FairPoint employees can apply for a grant for a qualified nonprofit organization that they have volunteered for at least 50 hours during the year. Pictured here are Cancer Community Center’s executive director Michele Johns, on left, receiving a $750 check from FairPoint employee Leslie Roberts.