PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Something may be cooking soon in Presque Isle.
The Aroostook County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation recently awarded nine grants, totaling $57,090, to regional nonprofit organizations serving people from Houlton to the St. John Valley.
SAD 1 Adult and Community Education in Presque Isle netted one of the larger grants, receiving $10,000 for a community kitchen project.
LeRae Kinney, Adult and Community Education director, can’t wait to get started. She said Thursday the venture will help fill a tremendous need in the area.
“This is something we’re very, very excited about, and something that, without a doubt, there is a need for in our community,” she said. “We are working on building a program surrounding cooking classes. We get requests every week, probably half a dozen or more, asking for cooking classes, whether it be basic instruction for both kids and adults to gourmet foods and cake decorating.”
Kinney said there isn’t a home economics kitchen anywhere in the district anymore. The once active home economics kitchen area at Presque Isle High School has been transitioned to regular classroom space, and food preparation as a class is not on the course list anymore.
“So cooking skills are not taught, and I think it is clearly a need in the community based on the requests and questions that we get,” she said.
The plan involves creating a four-unit kitchen space, she explained, each containing a stove, microwave and counter space, with a shared sink area between each pair of units.
“Our original idea was to do it this year, but will wait and see what our school board is going to decide on the right-sizing plan. Right-sizing could potentially change our location in the district,” said Kinney. “Right now, we plan to use the grant to purchase the equipment and make payments on countertops, and so forth.”
She said local businesses have stepped up to help. “Lowes has worked with us to offer things at their cost. MMG has given money, as has Save-A-Lot, and we are hoping to have businesses sponsor each unit, with the business logo over that section.”
Another fundraising plan involves a special 5K race in collaboration with The Aroostook Medical Center this fall. The “Kitchen Aid 5K” will help bring community awareness to the project as well as help raise money.
Kinney sees the benefits reaching beyond adult education. “What better way to teach fractions than to come in and cook something? That’s real-life math. And for history or social studies, to be able to create meals from different time periods, or different parts of the world, that’s a great learning opportunity.
“We’ve also had requests from agencies to offer cooking on a shoestring, that sort of thing — how to budget and cook meals for families that are quick and easy and healthy, and there isn’t anyplace around town to do that,” she said.
“The teachers are there, the resources are there. We can become that tool for them — all I need is the space,” she said, “and the Maine Community Foundation has given us a great jump-start to that.”
In another boost for food production, the Unity-based Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association received a grant of $9,050 for Aroostook outreach, and MOFGA Associate Director Chris Hamilton is thankful.
“We are really grateful for the funding,” Hamilton said Friday, “and look forward to working in partnership with them to help expand organic farming in Aroostook County.”
The grant has two parts to it, he said; one part will help send Aroostook County farmers downstate for training sessions on agriculture and organic farming, and the other will bring possible supporters and investors to The County.
“We put on about 30 conferences and events a year, and one is a three-day conference in November called Farmer to Farmer, which is an expensive event to attend,” Hamilton said. “This grant money — around $4,000 — will be available for scholarships for farmers who live in Aroostook County to come to these. That money should sponsor around 10-20 farmers, depending on the events they come to.”
The other part of the funding piggybacks off the growing local interest in organic agriculture. “In the spring sometime, there will be an investors/donors tour, where we will invite probably 25-30 people who … would be interested in potentially supporting projects in The County. We would visit several different farms and food processors, and inspire people to invest in The County,” Hamilton said.
“People talk about The County, and there’s a lot of exciting growth up there, but they haven’t seen it. So bringing them up will be really important,” he noted.
For information on any conferences, those interested can visit the MOFGA website or call the office to find out how to apply.
Pam Scheppele, the Maine Community Foundation’s foundation officer for Aroostook, based in Presque Isle, said the remaining grant recipients include the University of Maine at Presque Isle, who received a $10,000 grant to support the purchase of technologies to create a professional development center.
Maine Robotics of Orono, which holds summer camps for youth throughout the state, received $6,240 to expand its offerings north next year. The organization’s initial grant proposal indicated the group plans to offer two five-day camps in the summer of 2017 — one in the Houlton area and one in the Fort Kent area, Scheppele said.
Other awardees are:
The City of Presque Isle: $8,800 to purchase a sound system for the Riverside Public Market Pavilion and the downtown concert series.
The Caribou Recreation Foundation: $5,000 to support the creation of the upcoming Caribou Marathon.
The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle: $3,000 to expand the bike path within the city to increase opportunities for physical activity.
Friends of Aroostook Farm of Houlton: $2,500 for program expansion.
Aroostook Agency on Aging in Presque Isle: $2,500 for adult day services.
This year the marks the 30th anniversary of grantmaking through the Aroostook County Fund. Applications are reviewed by a volunteer committee of local residents and business leaders, who then recommend funding. The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2017. The application and guidelines can be found at www.mainecf.org.
The Aroostook County Fund is a permanent endowment built through donations from the community. For information, contact Scheppele at (207) 540-6494 or pscheppele@mainecf.org.
