PRESQUE ISLE — Care & Comfort and the administrative staff of their Presque Isle branch recently presented the Aroostook House of Comfort a donation to assist with the construction of a new hospice residence facility. Plans for constructing this six-bed, independent hospice house in Aroostook County are moving forward and it is hoped that within a few years terminally ill residents and their families will be receiving care and support in a home-like environment.
This donation was made possible through proceeds from Care & Comfort’s Jeans Day Fund, a campaign that was launched over 12 years ago. An ongoing collaborative fund-raising effort between Care & Comfort and its employees, Jean Day lets staff leave their normal work attire at home and wear jeans on Fridays for a $2 donation. The company matches every dollar raised and the employees of each branch select the local recipients semi-annually.
“Each and every day our staff provides critical and valued home health and mental health services to individuals and families from Fort Kent to southern Maine. We recognize and understand the struggles so many face as they navigate the world of health care. When combined with emotional, financial and, in many cases, geographically challenging decisions it is easy to be overwhelmed,” said Susan D. Giguere, Care & Comfort’s founder and CEO.
“I was very pleased when our staff selected the Aroostook House of Comfort to receive our gift. It is so important that the health care delivery system be broad-reaching and forward-thinking. In making this donation we are supporting a project which will positively impact people in their own community through its mission of providing 24-hour-a-day palliative and hospice care,” added Giguere.
Accepting the check was Richard M. Duncan, chairman of the Aroostook Hospice Foundation — the volunteer organization building the House of Comfort. Duncan expressed his appreciation to Care & Comfort and their employees for helping them meet their goal for hospice patients who cannot remain at home to have quality time in a residential setting that will provide an atmosphere of peace, comfort, hope, compassion and tranquility.
