Charitable Donations 2024

Patriot Subaru "12 Weeks of Giving" program brought us to York County Community Action Corporation's home Heating and Energy Assistance Program, aka HEAP. Each year, more than 7,000 individuals and families in York County heat their homes with help from HEAP. We dedicated a percentage from our first week of sales in December, which earned $1550 for the YCCAC. Every drop helps! On the left, Jen Foy, Dir of Grants and Jackie Parisi, Dir.of Energy Services met with Patriot's Dustin Kimball, Vinnie Martorano, Holly Pritchard, Taylor Howard, with Matt Rieders in the back! Thank you to all those who help HEAP provide the support to those in need, including the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry that first connected us!

Patriot Subaru headed down to Kennebunk to see the great team and a couple of cute pups at the Animal Welfare Society , and to share with them the good news that we raised $1325 for them through our November "12 Weeks of Giving" program. We like to focus on a different local charitable organization each month, putting the spotlight on their good work, and the AWS sure fits the bill. The organization provides shelter, veterinary care, training and resources to more than 10,000 pets and community members annually. That takes a lot of dedication, and community support, so we're glad to be of help. Holding the little guys are Patriot's Zack Gryskwicz and Alexis Felch, Corey Creteau is on the sign, and Tom Talbott backing it up. Patriot Subaru Loves Pets! Thank you AWS

Patriot Subaru was delighted to reconnect with friends in the Best Buddies Maine program as our recipient for the month of October in our 12 Weeks of Giving program. When our good friend Olivia Fraioli, who used to work at STRIVE and has since joined the advisory board of Best Buddies, we wanted to help! From sales generated during the first week in October, we added $1375 to their fundraising goal. Zach Reed, Adam Hall and Mackenzie Anderson from Patriot met with Olivia, Shay Wilcox/Sr.Program Mgr, and Caroline Kiddie/Transitions Mgr. Though Best Buddies is a national organization, each state is on their own to fundraiser and develop programs. It is still very much a grassroots, localized chapter program that is focused on creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Learn more about them at www.bestbuddies.org/maine, and how you can be involved! It is joyful work, and Patriot is happy to support all they do!

Project G.R.A.C.E.. When we read their mission in the Scarborough area and saw that it started by saying "Neighbors Helping Neighbors", we knew we had found a wonderful recipient for our Patriot Subaru "12 Weeks of Giving" program! "GRACE" stands for "Granting Resources and Assistance through Community Effort", and what they aim to do is to "improve the lives of our Scarborough neighbors by identifying both those in need and those willing to share their gifts, and coordinating the interchange in a compassionate, confidential manner."  To help, Patriot raised $1375 during the first week of September as a donation.  We welcomed Executive Director Steffi Cox and President Alberta Follansbee, and gathered together to learn more about their story. Project G.R.A.C.E. was founded in 2002 as a volunteer non-profit and has been helping in the community in areas such as heating fuel assistance, nutrition/food insecurity, school supplies, summer camp/afterschool programs, sustainable gardening, and other useful projects. Their seasonal fundraising events bring people together in fun and creative ways, building a strong sense of community togetherness. Patriot has been celebrating local grass root organizations that help to make our towns and neighborhoods stronger, and we're very happy to support their efforts. Neighbors helping neighbors is what it's all about!   https://projectgracemaine.weebly.com/

The Patriot Subaru "12 Weeks" of Giving reaches out to various non-profit charitable organizations, with a donation for financial assistance, but perhaps even more importantly, to provide a forum to share their good work. These grass-root programs are all dedicated to something important, and that's helping others. Such is the case for our August partner, Waddles For A Cause. Joining us as the store,  co-founder Beth Corbeau, and her son Jackson, for a $1350 donation to this 501(c)3 headquartered in Buxton.  At age 2, Jackson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The good news is that now at age 8, Jackson is doing great!  The Corbeau family learned a lot during those early years, and as they say, felt "fortunate" that between their insurance, and being owners of a local business, they could provide full time care for their son. However, they also learned that many families are not in that position. Waddles, named after Jackson's love of penguins,  was formed to help provide financial assistance to families facing Childhood Cancer diagnoses. Whether it be for household needs due to lost wages, transportation, co-pays or out of pocket medical expenses Waddles For A Cause can offer some help. It provides a measure of stress relief so that parents and caregivers can focus on the well-being of the child. Beth and Matt, along with other Board members, have over the years held annual golf tournaments, as well as holiday gift raffles, Clynk bag collections, even spooky Halloween walks, as ways to raise money. At Patriot, we recognize that it is not just the money that Waddles can provide to a family in need, but just letting a family know that people care and they are not alone in their journey. Perfect strangers who can become best friends through a shared experience. We thank them for their efforts to comfort others in time of need. www.waddlesforacause.com

For July, Patriot Subaru welcomes Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation/ Veterans No Boundaries (VNB) into our "12 Weeks of Giving" family. Based on sales between July 1-6, we earned $1750 to donate to their wonderful program. Amy Bannon, Managing Director at Maine Adaptive sent us this beautiful thank you picture with her team gathered around her very  "loved Subaru", while noting that these funds will help to bridge adaptive access to sports and recreational opportunities across Maine. The primary goals are to provide the best instruction available in variety of sports to veterans with disabilities, and their families. The August program at Camp Wavus in Jefferson, ME. offers outdoor activities including kayaking/canoeing, fishing, shooting, archery, cycling, rope and swing courses, and many more challenging skills that foster camaraderie and relaxation. The January event at Sunday River takes in both alpine and nordic skiing and snowboarding, court sports, and craft programs, and socials. All activities, equipment, instruction, lodging, accommodations, and meals are provided at no charge for the respective four-day retreats. The only expense to a participant is to travel to Maine, and help is provided from volunteers getting to the sites from the airports or train stations. Since 2007, VNB's range of options encourages and supports veterans to regain physical and mental health, confidence, socialization, and ways to reconnect with friends and family. Patriot Subaru salutes this important endeavor and is proud to be another business that has recognized the importance of this program. https://maineadaptive.org/veterans-no-boundaries/

June, and things are in full bloom! We reached out to the Biddeford Community Gardens to be our recipient of this month's "12 Weeks of Giving" Program, our way of helping out local community organizations that make a difference. We're happy to report that between June 3-8, we earned $1550 for the BCG, whose vision is to provide food security for all Biddeford residents - from the ground up!  What started in 2012 as a 6-bed children's garden, has blossomed into 130 gardens across 4 locations. By 2017, volunteers Tracy Chaplin and Holly Culloton began looking for larger space to build a community garden, which was found at St. Andre's Senior Housing complex. This became the Mission Hill Community Garden with 41 garden beds. In 2018, the BCG was officially established and sponsored by the "Heart of Biddeford". More locations were established, including help from the City of Biddeford Public Works and the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club. 2022 saw the format change from traditional individual private plots to a communal system where gardeners all work together to share in the harvest. In 2023, that resulted in 1300 pounds of fresh veggies sent to the Biddeford Food Pantry,  Bon Appetit Meal Program and Youth Full Maine. Patriot loves great teamwork, and we're happy to help this vibrant community program! We hear this money is going to go to help build a brand new greenhouse at the Rotary Park, Biddeford location, which is great!  https://biddefordcommunitygardens.org/

Patriot Subaru had a delightful visit to the Portland Conservatory of Music, located in Portland's West End, with the opportunity to deliver our May "12 Weeks of Giving" donation. What a wonderful place!   The mission of the PCM is to provide a high quality music education to all who are interested, of all ages. Piano, voice, strings, winds, percussion and brass instruments as well as group classes and ensembles like adult jazz, fiddling, and the Middle Eastern Ensemble. At the 28 Neal Street address, the facility is a converted church, and the centerpiece is the old chapel, perfect for performances. Pictured here on the stage L-R, Executive Director Michal Lund Ziegler, Marketing Director Melissa Lund Ziegler, with Patriot Subaru's Sara Elsberry, Adam Hall, and Sue Donovan, with PCM's Operation Manager John Ross and Piano Teacher Rachael Herzer. Patriot Subaru supports wonderful community organizations like the PCM that brings joy and a cultural opportunity to so many. It's another important part of the fabric that makes us stronger. We raised $1500 during our store event, and were happy it can be of help to keep the program tuned up! www.pcm.org