!2 Weeks of Giving in 2023

Patriot Subaru has been lending a hand to The Saco Food Pantry for several years, primarily through an annual food drive. This December we took it up a notch by naming the Pantry as our recipient of the December "12 Weeks of Giving" program. Between Dec 4 -9, we took a percentage of sales and ended up with a donation of $1250 to their organization. At the same time, we held our Food Drive, double down! The Saco Food Pantry opened 41 years ago, 1982, as the Biddeford-Saco Council of Churches Food Pantry. When the Council disbanded in 2002, the pantry incorporated and became the Saco Food Pantry, Inc. It is a 501c3nonprofit, that provides food for local Mainers in need through short-term and intermittent help, and long-term help for those experiencing continued difficulties. The all-volunteer staff includes a Board of Directors. It currently provides food for over 8,000 people a year, more than 96,000 individual meals! Food insecurity is a major issue in Maine, and there are many ways to help. One is to support a pantry near you, and we're glad we can lend a hand to this important team, neighbors helping neighbors. Thank you Saco Food Pantry! They're located at 67 Ocean Park Road, Saco and can be contacted at meals@sacofoodpantry.org.

November, the month we celebrate Veterans and Thanksgiving, is a fine month to also express appreciation for the good work of Rotary, and in this case, we turned our attention to the Biddeford-Saco Maine Rotary Club. Between Nov 6-11, Patriot Subaru made a donation from our sales to our neighboring Rotary club, which added up to $1375.  Rotarians believe in the motto, "Service Above Self", and clubs around the world seek to help those in need with financial assistance as well as rolling up the sleeves. The Biddeford-Saco Rotary helps to build up the community in many different ways. Their "Earl A. Goodwin Kindness in the Community Day" delivered a bounty of gifts to hundreds of local kids, seniors, and veterans, while the Adopt A Family Christmas last year shopped and provided gifts for 156 children. The club donated $10k to community charitable groups, and another $25k to My Place Teen Center in Biddeford. Spreading kindness, helping at shelters and food pantries, working to protect our environment, supporting education, are just a few of the many ways this group participates in our neighborhoods. If reading this interests you, think about joining Rotary! FMI, visit Biddeford-SacoRotary.

For October, the Patriot Subaru "12 Weeks of Giving" program put its resources to work for the Stroudwater Food Pantry, located at 1520 Westbrook St, Portland. Between Oct 2-7, we set aside $1300 from vehicle sales to donate to this vital organization that services the Greater Portland community by providing fresh meat, dairy, produce and non-perishable foods to meal-insecure individuals and families. Patriot associates Holly Pritchard and Teryn Austin, on the far left and right in the photo, met with Doug Horner, Director, who provided a facility and operations tour. The pantry is open every Sunday 1p-3p to the public, serving some 600 families, equivalent to about 2000 people. Over the course of a year, over 100 tons of food items and groceries are distributed. This effort is made possible by strong volunteer support that meets at the facility every Friday to sort and package food items that have been donated. We saw them hard at work! A large bulk of the donations comes from area supermarkets, in addition to purchases from the Good Shepherd Food Bank, made possible from financial donations. Food drives at area businesses also adds to the total. Volunteers are always welcome to help! Since 2015, the Stroudwater Food Pantry is another great example of neighbors helping neighbors, something that Patriot Subaru greatly appreciates. Learn more at Stroudwater Food Pantry

It was appropriate that Patriot Subaru's September issue of "12 Weeks of Giving" kicked off on Labor Day, as we featured an employment-centric nonprofit;  United Recovery Fund, the partner 501c3 to MaineWorks. Between September 4-9, Patriot Subaru set aside funds from each vehicle sale, and presented Margo Walsh, Founder/Owner of MaineWorks and her team with a donation of $1000. MaineWorks is a B-Corp social employment company which has provided quality, long term, employment in the construction industry for hundreds of men and women returning to work from incarceration and substance use. MaineWorks finds the job opportunities, and URF provides the support that workers need to arrive at work ready to go. Transportation is the largest single cost; United Recovery Fund engages volunteer drivers, many of whom are local Rotarians. URF also helps with license reinstatement, sober living, appropriate outer wear and boots, dental and health care and outdoor experiences. Support. Dignity. Purpose. That's a winning strategy, and we're happy to provide some support and talk about this excellent program.  https://www.unitedrecoveryfund.org/   https://www.maineworks.us/

Summer put the sunlight on the "Special Surfers", a 501c3 group that "shares the stoke of surfing with developmentally, emotionally, and physically challenged individuals, one wave at a time!" From August 7-12, Patriot Subaru earned $1500 to donate to Special Surfers Founder and Executive Director Nanci Boutot. Nanci, fresh off their August event, gave us a great sense of what the program does, and the joy it brings to everyone involved. Kids who rarely open up, are smiling ear to ear. Nanci said,"If you volunteer once, you're hooked." She also noted that this donation will go towards the purchase of a new trailer, something they really need to haul boards and equipment to events. There were 200 Special Surfers for the August event, backed with 300+ volunteers down at Gooch's Beach, Kennebunk. Dates are already set for 2024, so check out their website, www.specialsurfer.org. Amazing teamwork and coordination, and once again, neighbors helping neighbors. Read more about their story, and how you can be involved! https://www.specialsurfer.org/

Best Buddies in Maine was introduced to our team through our Sales Manager, Luis Perez, and we're pleased to report that during the week of July 3-8 we raised $1400 from the "12 Weeks of Giving" program! We had a delightful visit to their offices located at the Cloudwork Coworking, 63 Federal Street, Portland. Pictured, L-R, Julia Ruth Preston/Deputy Director,, Tucker Conley/ State Ambassador and Advisory Board Member, Luis Perez/Patriot, Shay Wilcox/ Senior Program Manager, and Lexi Pinkham/Patriot. Best Buddies is an international 501c3 organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that is supportive to both the student and adult population who have various intellectual and developmental disabilities, known as IDD. This may include, but is not limited to individuals with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities. Best Buddies helps by fostering and building one-to-one personal relationships between people with and without IDD. BB helps people with IDD secure jobs and develop independent living skills, as well as leadership skills.  Patriot is very glad that there is a Best Buddies chapter right here in Maine, based in Cumberland. Learn how to join or contribute, at www.bestbuddies.org/maine

For June we gave the stage and spotlight to the Saco River Theatre in Buxton. Between June 5-10 Patriot generated $1300 for the theatre, and apparently it was really good timing! We visited with Dana Packard, Executive Director for SRT, who explained the current important renovations being done right now to this 1897 structure. Originally a chapel, it became a Grange Hall and social center in 1908, serving a variety of community functions for decades. In 1990 it reopened as a theater and performing arts center, hosting plays, concerts, silent movies with piano accompaniment, private and social functions, and dances, and granted a 501(c)3 status in 1994. Renamed the Saco River Theatre in 2012, It is now the home of "The Originals" a small Professional Equity Theatre who have presented more than 90 dramas, comedies, and full-scale musical productions in their 33 years at SRT. Pictured here, Patriot associates Corey Creteau, Elizabeth Gibson, and Ethan Payne with Dana 2nd from left, took the the photo in front of the old stage curtain. Very interesting! SRT has the lowest ticket prices of any professional company in Maine,and each production always has one "Pay what you can" performance, so it is accessible to anyone who wants to attend. Great idea! Check out the events at the Saco River Theatre, 29 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton!

Patriot Subaru visited The Locker Project in South Portland, and presented a check for $1550 from our May "12 Weeks of Giving" Program. We met with Executive Director Kathryn Sargent who gave us a tour of their new headquarters on Wescott Road. The Locker Project focuses on connecting food-insecure Maine children with nourishing food through programs that strive to be low barrier and stigma-free. What started very small in 2011 is now stocking food pantries at 70 schools and agency partners across the greater Portland region. Annually over 480,000 pounds of fresh produce, dairy, meats, bread, staples and snacks are bundled, bagged, and distributed. Roughly 35% of the food is rescued from area supermarkets and bakeries including Hannaford,Shaw's Walmart, Rosemont Markets and Standard Baking Company. Additional produce comes from Good Shepherd Food Bank and local farms. In the photo we have L-R from Patriot Subaru Rossy Nguyen, Rob Dame, Josh Gallant, and Will Ives, with Locker Project's Kathryn Sargent, Kevin Bogart, Courtney Bowers, and Allish Dennigan. We love what The Locker Project has become, an excellent example of an idea that set out to do help others, and now helps many, many others! Neighbors helping neighbors wins again.

Patriot Subaru welcomed Ryan and Cynthia Paige, co-founders of The AccessDirect Recovery Network , topping it off with a donation of $1250 to their important program. AccessDirect was our April recipient of Patriot's "12 Weeks of Giving" program, and we appreciated both hearing and sharing their story though our website and social media. Their network was founded on the belief that people who are affected by a substance abuse disorder need a guiding hand and assistance to resources that provide treatment options. The fact is that for the majority of people, they find that access is often very slim or limited, and often they never make a connection. The AccessDirect Recovery Network is committed to building extensive relationships with recovery resources locally and nationally so that immediate options are available upon each call. 24/7 Service, detoxification, residential treatment, recovery residences, and dual diagnosis. Ryan is the organization's COO and a survivor, and together with CEO Cynthia, they are making a difference. Joining us for a photo, L-R Imahdi Zagon, Tanja Jutanda, Merril Abramson, Cynthia and Ryan Paige, Kelsey Antonis, Kayla Morse, and Tanya Grace. When you are ready, the AccessDirect Recovery Network is ready!