1,228 tickets were placed by community members in the ACAP Community Giving Tree at this weekend’s St. Apollonia Pediatric Dentistry Festival of Trees at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle during the weekend of Dec. 1-3.
ACAP employees, volunteers and friends of the agency donated over 400 boxes of cereal over the past several weeks. Thank you to the volunteers who constructed (and took down) their “tree” made of the cereal boxes and decorated with ornaments made by children in its Early Care and Education Programs.
The dollar equivalent of tickets through the weekend for this project was over $600. A dozen grocery stores throughout Aroostook County matched a value greater than that in donated boxes of cereal. The total number of donations will provide a box of cereal for each child in the Early Care and Education Programs during the upcoming late December break. It also means an ample supply to stock the shelves of the ACAP Community Cupboards in Presque Isle and Houlton over the coming weeks.
For many families, the box of cereal their child will take home will help put breakfast on the table for those who are otherwise fed their first meal of the day at one of our classrooms in Fort Kent, Caribou, Presque Isle, Houlton and Dyer Brook when we are in session. The remaining boxes of cereal will be especially helpful as the cold temperatures limit the type of non-perishable food items staff and community members can place in the outdoor cupboard in Presque Isle.
Although the tree has already gone up and come down, anyone wishing to donate boxes of cereal or other non-perishable food items are encouraged to do so by dropping them off at any time (24/7) in the Community Cupboard outside of 771 Main Street at the Presque Isle Facility, or by dropping items off at any ACAP location during regular operating hours.
A large thank you extended to all who helped with this great community partnership project. Special thanks to the following: ACAP Community Development Committee; organizers and the volunteers at the Festival of Trees for supporting this project and welcoming the Community Giving Tree into their event for a second year; the children and educators in our Early Care and Education Programs who created the tree decorations that not only put the “ornaments on the tree” but served as a valuable lesson to some of our youngest County residents about the importance of giving back to the community.
ACAP is thankful for the donations from the following partner grocery stores from across Aroostook County: Andy’s IGA in Houlton, Ashland Food Mart, Country Farms Market in Easton, Country Farms Market in Washburn, County Yankee Grocer in Houlton, Graves Shop ‘n Save in Presque Isle, Hannaford in Caribou, Hillside IGA in Fort Fairfield, John’s Shurfine in Fort Kent, Mars Hill IGA, Mike’s Family Market in Limestone, and Star City IGA in Presque Isle.
